Adoption
by Ayeka Penor
Summary: After making chuunin, Naruto has become even more of a handful. To try and mold his growth into a productive adult, the Hokage has decided Naruto must be adopted into one of Konoha's families. COMPLETE
1. Family Plans

::Hehe…boy is this gonna be fun. We start our slightly AU tale at a meeting of the leaders of Konoha village. Forget what you've read or seen after the teams were assigned for genin, this is MY story. Of course, I don't own the characters or setting… But I bet you already knew that::

            "—as surely as I am the Hokage," the third of that title replied. The stunned audience was still having problems digesting this plan. Everyone agreed that something had to be done, but the solution…

            Hyuuga Hiashi, the head of his clan, spoke first. "Hokage-sama, I won't say I can understand your reasons for this decision, but I think the last place Naruto should end up is as a member of the Uchiha clan." Several people in the room relaxed as their concerns were voiced. The clan leader's pale eyes were narrow slits and his face was grim. "Sasuke would never consent to having the town's most hated member living under his roof as family. His pride is too great, and so is Naruto's."

            The Hokage sniffed and grunted. "Well, what do you say we should do? Naruto has become too much of a handful for the community as he is now, an independent. Do we hire parents for him?"

            Hiashi looked down at the mat floor. _That is absurd. The boy is strong, determined, but has no self-restraint or discipline. It is as the Hokage said, the boy must be adopted into another clan or he will surely grow beyond our control._  Looking back up he said, "Perhaps find a larger clan, one that could provide the guidance the boy needs. Instead of handing him to a peer to manage, impose upon a strong clan with the means to raise the boy so he may become a strong ninja instead of a loud fool."

            The Hokage's face was carefully blank. Hiashi couldn't make heads or tails of the man, one reason why he respected him. At length, the Hokage said, "Then I have decided what course this will take. Given your interest and undoubted future involvement with this issue, I would like to speak with you in private. This meeting is concluded."

            The heads of the various clans in Konoha stood and filed out. Usually they would have waited for Hiashi to leave first, but the man stayed behind. Once the sliding door closed, the Hokage took out a scroll and ink. He set them in front of Hiashi. "This is the document written up for this case. Because of the nature of this I left a few space blank, and it's a good thing I did.

            "Naruto should do well under this family's guidance…" He opened the scroll and brought his pen down upon the paper. 

            Hiashi's eyes narrowed. _So, he's seating _that _family with the problem…_

-----

            Uzumaki Naruto, who would soon be addressed by a different name, slammed his fist into the rock face one more time before falling back to pant in the grass. His orange jacket hung from a branch nearby and his white t-shirt was soaked with sweat. Eventually he got to his feet and wandered over to a nearby stream. Removing his shirt, well-toned muscles built to subtle perfection gleamed in the sunlight that entered this little clearing. He rinsed it in the stream and squeezed it out, lying it on a rock as he untied his forehead protector and rinsed it off as well. He would have to replace the cloth again soon, such extreme exercise and constant sweating was discoloring the cloth. It didn't help that he had to constantly wash it to keep it from stinking.

            With a sigh he stretched and looked up at the rock formation he'd been practicing his taijutsu on. The face of the Fourth Hokage was right above him. People avoided the cliffs like holy ground, making it the perfect location for private training. Naruto rubbed a hand against the stone. The dent was slightly deeper today. He grinned.

            The road to chuunin had been hard, and the one to jounin was proving to be a struggle as well. Despite promptings from his secret sensei, Jiraiya, Naruto refused to tap the Ninetail's chakra during the tests. This had knocked him out his first attempt at the chuunin exam, and it was then that he had met Jiraiya and trained with him. Passing on his second try, he had expected to be given more and better missions. No. Such. Luck.

            In his two years as a chuunin he had gone on only a handful of missions with a team. A majority of his assignments were C rank and boring to the extreme. While Sasuke got pushed to his limits on B and A rank missions, Naruto had been forced to seek his own trials. Despite all this, he still had a crush on sweet Sakura-chan (who made chuunin with him, but usually got the dangerous spying missions on account of her intelligence), still loved ramen, and was as loud and obnoxious as any teen could be. 

            "Maybe I should try painting 'I love H Sakura' on the geezer's forehead up there…" he mused. Then shaking his head he went back to the rock and put his shirt back on. It was slightly damp, but much better than the sticky-sweaty damp from earlier. The air was relatively cool for late spring, but he worked up a sweat no matter what the season. To avoid having his style constantly copied by Sasuke he had turned to taijutsu as his area of expertise. 

            Even Gai, the best ninja at taijutsu in Konoha and probably the world, had to admit Naruto was doing well. He could unlock the gates and not suffer as much as any other taijutsu specialist because of the Ninetail's habit of constantly healing him. Looking around, though he decided it was late enough that he should head back to his apartment and think about dinner. 

            Oh what a surprise awaited there.

-----

            Haruno Sakura quietly slipped off her bed and laid her ear against the floor. Her father had just returned from the Hokage's meeting and didn't sound pleased. _I wonder what's going on…_

            She could barely make out the voice of her mother as she said, "…Naruto is going to be the end of us." Sakura frowned. While her inner self completely agreed (for he was constantly interrupting her moments with Sasuke-kun) she didn't think he would harm someone in any serious way unless thoroughly provoked. In all of his reports there hadn't been a single death, and sometimes she could tell he had gone through quite a lot of trouble not to kill. 

            Her father was not so hard to hear. "I'm not sure, he can take care of the boy. If anyone can stop his childish antics it's _him_."

            "…still think it's…much to ask…under the same roof." Her mother's voice was dropping, signifying that she wasn't going to object anymore.

            A chair scraped against the kitchen floor. "He's a good teacher, he'll raise him right."

            Sakura leapt to her feet, eyes wide. They were going to have Kakashi adopt Naruto?! Her mind started going through all of the horrible things the scarecrow would teach the boy. _Naruto has already been caught in a couple compromising positions at the hot springs! Letting Kakashi raise him will turn him into a full-blown pervert!! That's even worse!!!_ She opened her window and jumped from her windows to the roof. _I've got to tell Ino!_

The rest of this you can guess at. Once Ino knew, word spread fast. By sunset, all of Konoha was talking about it. The Hokage and Kakashi were sitting in his office later that evening in companionable silence. "How do we tell him?" The Hokage said aloud, not really asking Kakashi, but more along the lines of saying what he was thinking to break the ice.

            Kakashi looked at the Hokage with his usual half-asleep expression. "I suspect he'll be asking us. Any minute now he'll be finishing his dinner at his favorite ramen stand, hearing the gossip. Then he'll—

            "Old Man Hokage!!" The outer doors slammed open. Kakashi and the Hokage sighed and didn't have long to wait until the office door opened and let in the human fusion reactor known as Naruto. He spotted Kakashi and froze, his blue eyes going wide. "Is it true, then?"

            The Hokage remained silent and Kakashi stood up. Placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder he turned him towards the door as he said, "Come on, let me take you home… Hyuuga Naruto."

::Sorry that it's sooo short, but I just had to stop it there! .  The rest will be longer, I swear. I haven't picked pairings yet, but I definitely have some idea of how I want things to end up. I was thinking about bringing Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro in… Feel free to ask for wacky couples, I enjoy fresh ideas. Until next time!::


	2. Hyuuga Naruto

::I think I'm suffering from shock. I got so many reviews for that first chapter! When the counter hit twenty that afternoon I immediately started work on the next chapter, which I hadn't planned on doing for a day or two. Hopefully this next chappie will explain things a bit better, I kinda left everyone hanging at the end there. 

Also, when I write fics they tend to ignore most of the events in an anime/manga aside from the most essential ones. I can't afford the Naruto manga, so my info for this fic is based on the anime and info from websites. I'm not going to mess with events I don't know! Namely the Fifth Hokage, Rasengan-thingus, Itachi, etc. I will be playing happy havoc with everything else though. As I said, slightly AU::

            Hyuuga Hiashi frowned at the room he stood in. It was one of the many spare bedrooms that had been used for storing some of the overflow of stuff from the family's long history. They weren't pack rats, they just kept a lot of stuff because it was useful. That afternoon he had made sure it was cleared out and cleaned, then refitted with bedroom furniture suiting a boy in his mid teens. This meant a futon, dresser, desk, and bookcase. They were all empty and waiting. Hiashi walked out and slid the door closed. 

He still couldn't believe it.

            Hyuuga Naruto. The look on the Hokage's face when he'd signed the adoption documents had let the old man's pleasure show. Hiashi didn't often find himself doing something he didn't want to, but in this case he was starting to feel more optimistic. Naruto had talent, and chakra to spare, and determination. He could make a good student…

            He heard something fall in Hinata's room across the hall and knocked on the frame. "I'm fine," she said quietly, answering his unasked question. Turning away he silently despaired over his eldest daughter's faults. She was Naruto's opposite. Quiet, listened to anything anyone told her, physically weak, and while she had become more sure of herself to a degree, she was still a genin.

            The front door was opened and he proceeded down the hall to the main entrance. Kakashi and Naruto stood there, removing their shoes with a stack of three boxes on the floor. "Welcome home, Naruto," Hiashi said. Naruto looked up and hesitated, then bowed. _Maybe this wasn't such a bad deal after all._

            Kakashi picked up all three boxes and started towards, Naruto's room. The quiet house then enjoyed its first Naruto-sized sentenced. "HEY! Where're you taking my stuff?" Hiashi tried not to wince as Naruto hastily followed his sensei. Hiashi and Kakashi traded a look over the boy's head, Hiashi came up behind Naruto and rested a hand on his shoulder as Kakashi went on his way. 

            "He's dropping it off in your room. You can unpack later. It's beginning to get late, so keep in mind that there are those who tend to consider this quiet time for study before sleep." Naruto nodded, not getting a word of it passed the part that told him where his stuff was going now. His thoughts had then proceeded to question where the room was.

            Hiashi led him down the hall, giving him a quick tour of the main family's part of the Hyuuga compound. They ended up back at the front door. Hiashi stopped and turned to Naruto. He looked at the boy's face. He was getting nothing from that expression. "As your new guardian I am also resonsable for making sure you learn what you need to in order to succeed. There is no need to wait, so you can start now by finding your own way to your room." Naruto nodded and started down the hall the same way Kakashi had gone. Hiashi felt mild disappointment. _Boy doesn't remember a thing._

            Naruto pause at the end of the hall, looked both ways and took a left. Hiashi sighed and proceeded to his own room. If Naruto had gone the other way he would have found a box sticking out of a doorway. Well, if he found his new son sleeping in the hallway the next morning he'd know where to start with the lessons.

------

            Naruto grumbled and crossed his arms, coming to a stop in the hallway. He recognized this door. He'd passed it at least five times. Tired from a long day of training and a few hours of wandering, he sat on the floor and looked out the window. The moon was a quarter full and waxing, painting the walls and floor in silvery blue and black. He sighed and yawned. "Maybe I should just make myself comfortable here…" he muttered.

            "…Naruto-kun…" Naruto's ears perked. Was that a ghost? He turned and looked behind him. 

            He jumped to his feet, eyes wide. It was a ghost! White hair! White face! White eyes!

            The ghost spoke again, its head tilted down to look at the floor as it nervously tapped its pointer fingers together. A strangely familiar sight… "Naruto-kun, are you lost?"

            Naruto blinked. "Hi-Hinata? What are you still doing up?" he asked. He'd had the sense to speak quietly, but Hinata winced and ran forward, a finger to her lips. 

            "Shh. We're right outside father's room.  Follow me." She turned and started to walk silently away. It was then that Naruto noticed how very quiet it was. His apartment hadn't been in a rowdy neighborhood exactly, but still more lively than this private residence. He tried his best to make his footfalls as silent as Hinata's, but the tension got to him after a while. _I've been walking around normally all night anyway…_ He eased back into his normal pace, reaching it just as Hinata stopped. Naruto looked down and saw the door was cracked open with the corner of a box sticking out of it.

            "Oy, I must have walked right passed…" he said. 

            Hinata giggled then fell silent. "Good night…Naruto-kun." 

            Naruto turned to say goodnight and found Hinata was closing the door opposite his. _Hunh, right across the hall._ "Goodnight, Hinata."

------

            Hiashi sat in the breakfast room sipping his morning tea, enjoying the light of a new day as it came in through the windows. His youngest and favorite daughter, Hanabi, wandered in and sat down. Hinata followed soon after. They waited. "I suppose Naruto didn't get to bed until late last night," Hiashi said, ignoring Hinata's blush. "Today I hope you two can train yourselves since I will be occupied with introducing Naruto as to how we do things around here." Hanabi and Hinata nodded. The steam stopped rising from their food and Hinata's stomach gurgled. _Maybe I should have woken Naruto up, father isn't going to be pleased… Oh, but he looked so peaceful!_ Hinata had paused at Naruto's door on her way to breakfast and peeked in to find the shades down and his face turned towards the door. Her heart had melted.

            "Wow! Breakfast!" Naruto said from the doorway. Hanabi flinched at the volume and felt like his orange jacket was going to blind her. The Hyuuga household was a quiet and serene one based on discipline. Naruto was practically glowing with energy. 

            "Morning, Naruto-kun," Hinata mumbled as he sat opposite her on Hiashi's left. Hinata and Hanabi sat on the other side with Hinata closest to her father. A couple years ago this situation would have ended with a nervous Hinata spilling food all over, but she had managed to train herself not to tremble—ever. It had been as much of a necessity as learning not to freeze up when under pressure, something she felt Naruto had helped her considerably with. With deceptively steady hands she reached out and picked the largest piece of salmon and set it on her father's plate. Naruto reached for another dish, but Hiashi held out a hand to stop him.

            "Hinata serves," he said. Naruto dropped the spoon and sat back. The spoon bounced on the table making a racket until Hanabi's small hand sprung out to slam it down on the table. Hiashi eyed her warily. This didn't look good for familial bonding, and their time together would have to be handled carefully. Naruto's stomach complained as he waited impatiently for Hinata to finish serving everyone. When the last plate—hers—had been filled, Hiashi clapped his hands together and they reached for their chopsticks. Naruto held back, but he still looked rushed compared to the restraint and ceremony the others practiced.

            When he finished, he remained where he was. Hiashi hoped this was because the boy was picking up on how things were done, but knew in the best case it was probably because the boy didn't know how to get back to his room from here. Setting his chopsticks aside, Hiashi said, "Naruto, you'll be joining me in the main practice room in the west-facing part of the house. Don't bother bringing any weapons, we'll be working on basics."

            Naruto frowned. "What?! Why basics! I'm a chuunin!"

            Hiashi tapped a finger on the table and said, "You know the basics from the Ninja Academy, but the Hyuuga discipline is different. Come." He rose and Naruto followed him out, still feeling resentful.

            The sisters remained at the table. Hanabi looked at Hinata and said, "I'll be in the training room next to my bedroom." She got up to leave.

            "I'll be in the forest," Hinata said quietly. Hanabi paused and turned to watch her sister rise to her feet and leave the room without a second glance. Had Hinata just spoken up for herself? Maybe she'd simply said it out of habit and would show up anyway. Hanabi held to this theory until she reached her private practice room. Hinata was always first to arrive, afraid to displease, but she wasn't there. _She really went to the forest training grounds?! Father told us to train together!_

            Hanabi slammed the door shut and ran for the back door. It didn't take the seven-year-old long to catch up to her sister, who was running half-heartedly along the tree path she frequented. Hanabi sighed. Hinata came this way all the time, had for years, with was evident in the worn dips in the tree branches. Even a young student could follow this path.

            "Didn't you hear what father said?" Hanabi asked.

            Hinata spared the time to look back. "About what?"

            "He told us to train together! I said I was going to my training room!" Hanabi loved her sister, but to ignore their father's instructions…

            Hinata looked forward and took a sharp right turn, landing in a clearing. "I didn't hear…" She didn't look too disturbed by it, though. Her heart had been singing in her ears for the past twenty hours or so. Ever since her father told her they were taking Naruto into their family she had been walking on air. She knew Naruto would succeed in whatever training her father chose for him. He couldn't use their style of taijutsu, but there were other things to being a ninja. 

            Turning to Hanabi, Hinata said, "Attack me…please?" _I'm going to be stronger. Father will never see me as the rightful heir to our house as long as Neji and Hanabi are so much stronger than I am, and now there's Naruto… Naruto…_ The name was her personal mantra of strength and determination. She called upon her Byakugan and took up a defensive pose.

------1 week later:

            Sasuke shifted his position so his shoulder blades rested against the tree more comfortably. Sakura stood a little ways off, a kunai swinging around her finger as she waited for just the right moment… Thunk! One more kunai in the tree. She sighed and cast a look in the direction of the sun. Today Kakashi was supposed to be giving them some extra training, but Sakura knew it was an excuse for him to get the team together and to watch Sasuke and Naruto fight. As the hours ticked by she began to wonder if Naruto was going to show up at all. 

            "Oy! Sakura-chan!" 

            The pink-hared girl turned to see Naruto and was about to shout at him for being late, but the words died at her lips. Instead she blurted out, "What happened to your clothes!"

            It was true, Naruto's orange attire had disappeared and been replace with a navy blue version. The result looked…wrong. This wasn't Naruto. He winced and took a seat on a tree stump. "Yeah, Hiashi-sama said I'd get my old clothes back once I learned how to talk. As if they were connected!" He shook his head, then looked up with a sparkle in his eye and adoration written all over his face. "So what have you been up to, Sakura-chan?" 

            Sakura walked over to the tree she'd been using for target practice and started to pull kunai out as she spoke. "Since I last saw you, I've done three missions and written four reports." She didn't sound too happy.

            Naruto peered at her. "Uh, why four reports?"

            Her fist tightened around a kunai and she shouted, "BECAUSE THE HOKAGE COULDN'T READ YOURS!!" Sakura was one of the few who could read Naruto's handwriting. She'd been more than a little irritated when the Hokage had asked her to imitate Naruto's handwriting in her messages back to him to keep the intercepted ones from being understood until Iruka had a chance to 'translate' them. She suppose it could have worked, but even at her best, she found herself incapable of creating the blonde's script.

            Naruto blinked. "It's perfectly legible, ya know…" he muttered, looking away. 

            Sasuke, who'd had very little interest in the events up to this point looked up in surprise. He and Sakura looked at each other? _You hear that? I heard that. _Sasuke looked at Naruto, then closed his eyes again. "Who'd have guessed that changing the Dobe's clothes would give him better volume control?" he said. What ruined it, was the fact that his voice cracked at the end. He tensed. _Please let him miss it…_

            No luck. Naruto was guffawing loud enough to scare some birds into flight. The initial burst was bad enough, but he seemed to sacrifice volume for more time and fell off his stump thrity seconds later—still laughing. Sakura scowled and started to berate Naruto for laughing when he would have the same thing happen to him. The scene Kakashi entered on when he arrived was just what he needed to settle his nerves. Naruto laughing and rolling around on the ground, Sasuke looking peeved, and Sakura yelling at Naruto. _I knew it was a good idea to bring them together for a day._

::Closing note on pairings: In Japan a couple that wants to get married can't have different surnames! One must be 'adopted' into the other's family, so NaruHina isn't out the window!  …And what is Hinata's mother like?? Don't remember seeing her…ever o.O ::


	3. Training

::Yes, not much happened in the last chapter (or so some think) but if you look at it with an eye to the story as a whole I couldn't bring about these changes any faster without losing quality or believability. It's hard to hold back and keep Naruto from pummeling everyone who ever teased him. ^_^  Also, expect some time to pass between chapters (plotwise). I'll usually mention how much time in the story somewhere, but not always. Triple thank-you to my reviewers!::

            Naruto landed on his backside once again and bit back a yelp. Hiashi would just hit him harder if he cried out. He got to his feet and settled into a defensive pose again. Hiashi shook his head. "We're done for today. When you leave, send Hanabi in." Naruto leapt to the door and ran down the hall. He skidded to a stop outside the door to the room he thought of as the "Girls'" practice room and went in. "Han—" He ducked as a shuriken whistled passed and embedded itself in the wall behind him. Hinata was the only one in the room and she looked ready to pass out.

            "Oh! I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun!" she said, running over. Naruto ran a hand through his spiky hair to make sure it was all still there and grinned. 

            "Don't worry about it, Hinata-chan. I probably should've knocked or something." Then he looked around again. "Where's Hanabi-chan? Hiashi-sama wants her in the practice room."

            Hinata pulled a couple of shuriken and kunai out of a target next to the door. "She headed over a few minutes ago. These days it seems she can tell exactly how long Father will keep you…" Naruto gave Hinata a close look. She sounded rather sad about her sister's ability to read their father. 

            "Hinata, are you jealous?" he asked.

            She stared at him a moment, then shook her head. "No, at least I don't think so. I just wish I could be as strong as her…Then Father might be proud of me, too."

            Naruto blinked. Hinata had never seemed that unhappy to him. Quiet, yes, but never as pained as she looked right now. He knew how hard it was to grow up with people ignoring you or hating you, without the love of a parent, but what about having a parent's love and not their respect? Everyone in Konoha knew Hiashi favored Neji and Hanabi to Hinata, but she was so mild mannered no one had noticed how she felt about it. Feeling rather awkward about it, Naruto walked up and stopped in front of Hinata just a few inches away. They were about the same height, but she only saw the dark blue of his pants and his shoes as her vision blurred.

            Hinata gasped as Naruto wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. He waited, anticipating a shocked response and a rejection. Then his eyes bugged out of his head as he stared at the opposite wall. Hinata's arms had come up to gently hold him back. She rested her head on his shoulder and sniffed. "Naruto…kun…" He rubbed a hand up and down her back as he'd seen mothers on the street do with upset children. She sniffed and took a deep breath and he could feel the tension leaving her.

            It was the best feeling in the world. Naruto loved hugs, he'd only ever gotten a few. Hinata was surprised she had been able to calm down while being hugged by her long-time crush. Her body felt warm, and it wasn't an embarrassed warmth, just…comfort. She sighed in contentment, happy to stay just like this. Alas there was an outside world, and the couple became aware of it in their own time. 

            Naruto took a step back and Hinata let go as well. She brushed away the streaks left near her eyes and Naruto asked quietly, "Do you want to trade off? I'll teach you some more advanced ninjutsu if you help me with your—er—Hiashi-sama's training." He'd stumbled there, almost saying 'your father' which could have been okay, except Hiashi was now his father too. 

            Hinata gave Naruto her best, small smile. "Sure. How about we go outside..?" He nodded and waited. Hinata felt a little strange leading the way, but the moment her feet hit that familiar path she was off. _I get to spend time alone with Naruto-kun! I got to **hug** Naruto-kun! _She was so preoccupied, that she didn't hear the fighting sounds coming up ahead. Naruto did hear, and he took an extra jump forward to catch Hinata's wrist. She turned and saw Naruto hold a finger to his leaps and pointed ahead. She listened. There were people training at her favorite spot!

            "Is that where we're headed?" Naruto asked quietly. Hinata nodded, feeling sad. Now they'd have to find somewhere else. Naruto jumped right on by. She reached out to catch him, but missed. Nervous, she followed. _What is he going to do?_ When Naruto stopped on a tree branch off to the side of the entrance of the grounds, Hinata landed beside him. He was peeking in to see who was there.

            Neji.

-------

            Neji glared at the ground in frustration. The theory made sense, but he still couldn't do it. The byakugan was supposedly the tree the sharingan got its seed from, and the sharingan wasn't only a passive ability. He knew there was something else to the byakugan, some lost jutsu or knowledge that could make him stronger… There was a shifting in the trees that had nothing to do with wind. Neji brought out a few shuriken and threw them.

            His cousin, Hinata, and his—adopted—cousin Naruto jumped to the ground to avoid the sharp stars. Neji scowled. "What do you want?" he asked. _Why did they have to bother me? Hiashi shouldn't know what I'm trying to do… Of course he's probably still jealous for that move during the chuunin exam._

            Hinata looked at the ground, her hair hanging forward much as Neji thought wet seaweed looked like. He waited for her to answer, but then Naruto said clearly, "We came out here to train, but heard someone else around so we decided to see who." 

            If the baka was anything, it was honest and blunt. Neji took it as truth, and silently thanked kami that there were at leas two members of the main house who were honest with him. He still didn't trust Hiashi, even after the exam when he read the scroll from his father. He trusted Hanabi even less. Neji waited for them to leave. Naruto didn't look ready to be going anywhere. "Would you leave already?" Neji said.

            Naruto blinked. "Hey! You had your turn on the grounds, now it's mine and Hinata's." He grinned. "Unless you plan on training with us."

            Neji could think of a number of things he'd rather do than train with Naruto and Hinata. He was about to say so when something occurred to him. Perhaps he could unlock the byakugan's more active powers if he tried to do it fighting other people? He let his hands rest by his sides and said, "Very well, come at me."

------

            Hinata could barely believe it. Neji was agreeing to train with them! Her and Naruto. While Neji had stopped hating her and had a degree of respect for Naruto's strength, this was unexpected. She performed some hand seals, activating the byakugan. Neji did the same. Naruto just scratched his head. "Uh, I can't use the gentle fist yet…"

            Neji snorted. "You can't learn it, you don't have the blood." Hinata felt a twinge of anger at that comment, but it went away quickly. It flew off into a hidden somewhere where all of her ill-meaning thoughts and feelings fled the moment they were born. Then Neji shifted his feet and she settled into the familiar defense position. 

            "No, no!" Naruto said. Neji and Hinata stopped and looked at the blond nin. Naruto was looking at Hinata. "Don't try to protect first! Attack!" Hinata blinked. _It's best to take up a defensive position, isn't it? Even Neji-nii-san…_ Yet she never attacked first. Maybe she should try to start the fight for once. Neji waited as she shifted her feet and arms. _There!_ She thought, and she lunged in. Neji avoided the strike to the inside and tried to strike her in the chest. Hinata's eyes went wide. _He's attacking with his full chakra!_ She panicked a bit and fowled her footing. She tripped backwards and fell, missing Neji's attack, but also bruising her rear. "Hinata!" Naruto said. 

            The next moment he was standing over her holding a hand out. His eyes asked the question. "I'm fine…Naruto-kun," she said quietly, blushing from the stupid mistake she'd just made more than from getting to hold Naruto's hand. Slowly she was beginning to get accustomed to his presence. Neji looked like a disappointed school master. 

            "What's the point? You're not even a chuunin yet," he said. Naruto opened his mouth to object, but Hinata pulled his sleeve and he looked at her hung head.

            "He's right, Naruto-kun. I haven't even managed to pass the chuunin exam."

            Naruto couldn't believe that. "He was willing to try earlier. Oy! Neji!" He jogged over to catch up. Neji turned and looked at Naruto as if he were a whining stray come to beg food. 

            "What?"

            Naruto grinned. "What do you say to meeting here tomorrow at the same time? Give us twenty-four hours and we'll give you a work-out to remember." Neji looked intrigued.

            "Twenty-four hours, then." Hinata watched Neji walk away and shivered.

            As Naruto came back she asked, "Why do you want him to come back? Nothing is going to change in twenty-four hours."

            Naruto peered at her in an unnerving way. "That's all the time you need to master a new technique, and I'm going to help you." Hinata blinked.

            "A-a new technique?"

            "Yeah… Just listen closely…"

-------

            The next day Naruto stumbled out of the main practice room feeling rather bruised. He knew it would fade away soon, but it still irked him how he couldn't seem to understand the so-called 'basics' of Hyuuga taijutsu. Hiashi seemed to think Naruto only needed to master the style to a point, using punches instead of chakra. So far Naruto thought it was closer to dancing than fighting—except when Hiashi hit him. _Hopefully Hinata has been resting up, she was dead tired after yesterday. And Hiashi-sama wasn't too happy about our late arrival at dinner either._ Naruto picked up the path to the out door training ground, his mind elsewhere as his feet followed the path from yesterday.

            He found the area empty when he arrived. "Hinata-chan?" 

            "Here." Naruto jumped and looked behind him. Hinata had been right at his elbow, and a pink blush glowed on her cheeks. Naruto sighed.

            "Well, at least you got the invisibility genjutsu down." _I can't believe I didn't sense her right behind me! _

            "Well what do we have here?" said a familiar voice. Naruto turned to look at the gap in the trees and stared.

            "Pervert-senin! What the heck are you doing here?" Naruto said. Jiraiya waved from his spot under the trees.

            Hinata stared. She knew this man from Naruto's stories. Jiraiya, one of the three legendary nins of the Hidden Leaf. _What is he doing here? Is he going to take Naruto away?!_

            Jiraiya eyed Hinata with interest. "Nice choice, Boyo, she looks like a sweet girl." Hinata blushed and Naruto looked ready to ring the man's throat.

            "She's not my girlfriend, she's my _sister_!!" Naruto yelled. Jiraiya blinked, and Hinata flinched. 

            _Sister…_ Hinata didn't want him to think of her as a sibling, that wasn't the kind of love she sought.  She wanted him to think of growing up with her instead of growing up and going away. It was possible that Naruto did love her as a woman, how could he tell when he had never known a sister's love? It wasn't like she'd ever told him how she felt, and had asked him about his feelings.

            Jiraiya looked at the sun and sighed. "Listen kid, there's something I need to teach you before we lose the time. I spoke to the Hokage and Hiashi, and they agreed that I could take you off the active roster for a month of training."

            Naruto perked. "Hey! Could Hinata train with us? She's on her own most of the time."

            Hinata's breath caught. _A month with Naruto learning from one of the three?_ She dared to hope.

            "Father is more interested in training Hanabi than me, she's continued to improve…" Hinata offered. Jiraiya looked at the her, really looked at her, and considered. 

            "It might be worth it. You two pack up—keep it light. I'll go have a quick word with your father."

            An hour later, Jiraiya, Naruto, and Hinata left the gates of the village. 

….Meanwhile…

            Neji pounded a fist into the ground. How dare that girl leave now! He thought he might be on to something as far as extending the usefulness of the byakugan was concerned, and he needed another member of the Hyuuga family to try it. Hinata was the only one who would let him. _Damn it! Naruto, where did you take her?!_

::And that's it for now. I've reached chapter 184 in the manga at this point, but another chapter for this fic will probably take as long as this one -_- I'm sorry. I have a week of classes left and finals, so I don't have the mental resources to write more just yet. Again, sorry for the wait and lack of action!::


	4. Bathing Exercises

::Okay, I've figured out how to place this storyline. Include the main storyline up to the preliminary matches in the chuunin exam's third test. At that point, imagine Sasuke didn't show up in time to compete and the invasion was called off subtly by Orochimaru, who maintained his guise as the Kazekage throughout the exam::

            Naruto stared at his hand. The skin burned, throbbed, and his arm felt like it was on fire. His attempts to learn the third stage of the Rasengan had been scattered thus far. Perhaps with more time… He knew that once he had experienced the feel of the move, he would be able to repeat it. Each time he'd tried something slightly different, but he still hadn't found just the right way. On the other side of the clearing, Hinata was standing stock still with her eyes closed.

            A log swung down from the trees and changed direction to come at her from above. She sidestepped it and then did her best to avoid the succeeding attacks. With her eyes open it would have been easy, but she kept them closed. Jiraiya sat in the trees with his supply of logs. _Her self-control is among the best I've ever seen, but she never expresses her anger. I fear she will lose control and die if she ever loses her temper in a fight._ Hinata waited for the next barrage. Jiraiya knew the Byakugan allowed her to see in practically all directions, but what he wanted to do was to extend her other senses, the senses other ninja relied on instead of sight to detect such attacks. The Hyuuga style of taijutsu didn't play to Hinata's strengths. She would have made a genius of a medical nin, but that kind of training was not his to give.

            What he could do was try and increase her awareness to avoid getting hit. Her body wasn't as tough as most, and her nature led her to defend first, so giving her better skills to avoid injury were best—for now. 

            Naruto fell back on the ground, panting. Jiraiya tossed another log. Hinata didn't move. At the very last second her eyes snapped open and she fell to the ground. Jiraiya sighed. As aware of attacks as that girl was, her ability to pick up anything Naruto was doing was unmatched. It almost reminded him of a mother's ability to 'sense' when something was amiss with her children.

            "Sorry, Jiraiya-sensei," she said as she got to her feet. He sighed and jumped out of the trees. 

            "It's alright for now, but you can't get distracted every time a teammate goes down or you'll be next!" She nodded sadly. Jiraiya patted her on the head. "You did better though." Her cheeks turned slightly rose-colored as he passed by. Jiraiya gave her more encouragement and praise than her father ever had. Her mother had been supportive, but since she'd caught the coughing disease Hinata hadn't seen much of her. 

Hyuuga Hiashi's wife had become severely weakened after giving birth to Hanabi, and had contracted a rare coughing disease that didn't want to let go. She'd spent the past few years in a separate room in bed with an older sister to look over her. Naruto had never been shown to her, but Hinata had talked to her mother about Naruto a few weeks after he came to their household and had been happy to see some life in the woman's eyes. 

            Jiraiya stood over Naruto. "How's it coming?"

            Naruto's blue eyes opened a crack. "I've almost…got it," he panted. Sweat had soaked his dark blue clothes, turning his t-shirt black and making parts of it stick to him. Early summer sunshine beat on them without mercy in their clearing, one reason why Jiraiya preferred to throw logs from the shade of the trees. 

            "More like you've almost got sunstroke. How about a rest?"

            The blue eyes opened fully and Naruto slowly sat up. He stared at the tattered tree in front of him. "Not yet. I've almost got it, just a few more times." Jiraiya sighed and stepped back as Naruto struggled to his feet and straightened. Naruto swayed a bit. _Dang it! My eyesight is blurring._

Then a pale hand with a canteen showed up under his nose and he blinked. The canteen shook a bit making the water slosh around inside. Naruto turned his head to see Hinata smiling shyly at him. "Have some water first, you're dripping with sweat." Finding no fault in this reasoning, Naruto accepted the canteen and took a couple of gulps.

            "Ah! Thanks, Hinata-chan," he said. He wiped the sweat from his brow and held out an arm to return the water to her, then saw only her back as she followed Jiraiya into the shade at the edge of the grounds. Naruto looked at the canteen and then tried to find somewhere to put it. A rock nearby offered some limited shade, and closing the top he set the canteen in the shadow. It wouldn't stay cool, but the shade would help keep it all from turning to steam in this heat. Facing the trees, Naruto held out a hand to begin again.

--------

            Hinata stared into Jiraiya's eyes, her Byakugan boring into him. His mind, his body, his chakra, were all an open book. "Now look at my chakra, follow it, you can see how it circulates," Jiraiya's voice was calm, and Hinata was practically in a hypnotic trance as she studied the senin's chakra system. He took in a shuddering breath, and Hinata could see his diaphragm dropping. "Now tell my chakra to gather somewhere as you would your own."

            She didn't question him, she was under the combined spell of her own Byakugan's intense scrutiny and her teacher's calm directions. Half aware of what she was doing, she sent his chakra into his hands. More and more, until his feet seemed to fade from his chakra system. _–! What am I doing! I can't manipulate other's chakra! It's not possible without using the gentle fist!_  She spun away, her eyes returning to normal and her body trembling. 

            Jiraiya calmly sent his chakra back to where it belonged, thankful that he had had the guts to have her try it on him instead of an animal. At least he knew how to handle the full power of the byakugan—to a degree. "A little surprised?" he asked.

            Hinata blinked up at him. "H-how did I do that? How can I?"

            Jiraiya smiled. "I'd love to tell you that this was just an exercise for me in learning to predict your moves, but it's actually an attempt to give you back something." He stood and stretched. _Damn! My feet are killing me._ Hinata stood as well.

            "Give me back what?" She wasn't aware of losing anything.

            Jiraiya grinned. "Oh, you'll see. Let's check out how Naruto's doing, it's going to be getting dark soon and there's a town nearby where we can stay for a while." They turned to cross over to Naruto's side of the clearing and Hinata felt mild alarm. He wasn't there. She walked ahead and looked around in the grass. She found his dark clothes first, then his face. He seemed to be sleeping, and judging from the empty canteen at his side, he hadn't meant to. _Probably worked himself into exhaustion…again._

            Hinata and Jiraiya took Naruto and their packs on a short walk into a nearby village. They paid for rooms for the next week and settled in. Jiraiya carried Naruto to the public baths with Hinata in tow because there was no way he would sleep in the same room as a stinky Naruto. Hinata went to the women's baths and Jiraiya walked straight through the locker room and dumped Naruto—clothes and all—into the first bath on the men's side. A couple of the other bathers gave Jiraiya a weird look. Was he trying to kill the boy?

            A few bubbles later Naruto burst from the water to stand on top and glare at his white-hared sensei. "What are you trying to do?! Kill me?!" Jiraiya just smirked and walked away. A fuming Naruto returned to the locker room to undress and collect some soap. He found his wash basket and opened it up and smiled. One advantage to having Hinata along on the trip was she always made sure he had at least one set of clean clothes. He and Jiraiya had shocked her with their traveling lifestyle and the two males had found themselves properly chastised for not bathing regularly etc. 

            As he settled into the bath properly this time he kept his hands above the water to keep them from smarting in the hot water and closed his eyes. _It's nice having a sister, especially having Hinata for a sister. Hanabi…not so much. _He then realized that Hinata was the only member of his 'family' with whom he felt a bond. Sure he spent plenty of time with Hiashi, but that was more like training than father-son time. Reaching for the soap Naruto thought, _I guess just because we have the same name doesn't mean we're really a family._

            Meanwhile, on the women's side of the baths, Hinata was going through a minor ordeal. A group of young women from the village happened to be bathing at the same time and Hinata had caught their attention with her pale scars and white eyes. They had asked the usual questions, and Hinata had quietly admitted she was on an extended training trip. One of the women, who seemed to be in her mid twenties, had taken a look at Hinata's soaps and squealed. "This will never do! Even if you're training that's no excuse for not taking proper care of yourself!" Hinata had tried to explain that she didn't need any more than what she had, but the women then pulled out their own things and started testing them on her.

            Jiraiya sat on the outside of the fence, his face a mask of deep thought. He had to do it. He needed to gather some inspiration on this trip or else it lost all meaning! Still, peeping on his own student struck a moral chord he hadn't been aware of before. _Awe screw it…_ He was about to turn away when he heard Hinata's voice say, "It's green!!" In the next moment he was fixed to the fence with an eye at a crack.

            A group of shapely young women had Hinata stuck in a circle as they did something to her that involved a lot of passing around of tubes and cups and washcloths. _What in the world are they doing?_ He'd never encountered this before. Sometimes a group of women would wash each other's hair or apply facemasks (which he didn't approve of because they would then just sit and chat), but never something as frenzied as this. There had to be half a dozen or more.

            Finally they began to drift apart and do their own washing, until only a few remained. When the last drifted away into the water to wash Jiraiya's jaw dropped. They had done some kind of horrific genjutsu to his student! Hinata's shoulder-length hair was slicked back and dark green, her visible skin was bright pink, and her eyes had a headband around them. Her hands were in special mittens of some kind. _I will make them pay…after I watch this._

            Naruto got up from the bath and toweled off, heading for the locker room to put on his dry clothes. As he put his shirt over his head he paused. What was this familiar chakra so far from his own? He hurriedly finished dressing and ran out. It was coming from the women's side of the bath. He skidded to a stop near the fence and ran around back. "Pervert-senin! Just what do you think you're doing!!!" he shouted at Jiraiya's back. The hermit leapt back and clapped a hand over Naruto's mouth.

            "I thought you were supposed to be quieter," Jiraiya mumbled. Naruto was glaring daggers. Jiraiya sighed. "Come, if they haven't heard then it should be okay, but they did—something—to Hinata." By now the old man had figured it out, but he wanted to see Naruto's reaction.

            Naruto grumbled and put his eye to the hole. He blinked. Hinata was surrounded by a group of giggling, naked women! "What are they doing to her?" he asked. Jiraiya took a chance and peeked over the fence. Dang! They were removing the goo, too bad. 

            "They had her covered with green slime and blindfolded," he said. Naruto's jaw dropped and Jiraiya snuck another look and froze. The women had cleared away and Hinata was rising from the bath with just a short towel wrapped around her. Her wet hair shone like polished wood and her usually pale skin was flushed and smooth, scars and bruises gone as if by magic. 

            Naruto felt strange. He stood there a moment, his head pounding and his heart racing. _Why can't I look away!?_ Then he felt a warm trickle on his upper lip that allowed him to look away. Raising a hand to his face it came away red. Naruto was stunned. _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I'm as bad as Pervert-senin! Nooooooo!_

::To stop there, or not to stop there? I won't stop there. The saga of the bathhouse days continues!::

            While staying in the town the trio fed, rested, and soaked. Naturally Naruto snuck off on his own to continue training. It took him until their fourth day there to finally complete the rasengan. While this subtly impressed Jiraiya, it also gave the old senin a moment of pause. This move had been the last skill he could pass to the boy. Naruto didn't have any idea of course, but for the moment was content to try and perfect his new attack. Hinata was in awe of Naruto, Jiraiya knew it, Naruto didn't see it, and the old man was beginning to get aggravated. 

            Hinata had not stopped training, but had continued to practice manipulating other's chakra with her eyes. It was a strain, and she could only compare it to trying to use her own chakra for the first time. She did find that using the same people over and over made it a great deal easier. Her usual practice grounds were the market and baths. It was at the baths that she got a surprise.

            Naruto had managed to drag Jiraiya into the men's side of the baths rather than peeking, and Hinata could tell the old man wasn't around to watch so she activated her byakugan and concentrated on a woman in the midst of washing her hair. Slowly the chakra gathered in the woman's hands then ebbed away. Hinata took a deep breath and went under the water to wet her hair for washing. When she came up she found herself staring eye-to-eye with her latest test subject. The woman's brown eyes didn't look too happy. "Who are you?" the woman asked.

            Hinata gulped. "Hi-Hyu-Hyuuga Hinata…" This woman had to be a nin to realize her chakra was being controlled by another. Hinata had worried about practicing on normal folk for just this reason, but the benefits had outweighed the consequences at the time. Now she wished she had stayed meek.

            The strange woman 'humph'ed and sat beside Hinata without taking her eyes off her. There was a strange seal of some kind on her forehead in the shape of a diamond. It was rather tasteful in the girl's opinion. "That was no small skill you showed with that jutsu. I know medic nin who can direct their own chakra in someone else, but never someone who can manipulated another's chakra as if it were their own." She brought out some soap and lathered up an arm. "I presume this is a new ability since you were practicing on me."

            Hinata blushed pink clear down to her toes. "I-um, yes. Sorry."

            To her surprise the woman scoffed. "You didn't do any harm. Know that I can see what kind of person you are, I know you wouldn't hurt me. Still… Where are you from?"

            Hinata tried to find her shampoo. "I'm a genin from Hidden Leaf Village," she aid quietly.

            The woman paused. "You seem a bit old…" Hinata's blush deepened. "So you haven't passed the chuunin exam?" Hinata shook her head. "Good." Hinata's head came up and she stared.

            "Good? I'm the lump of my family! My father is ashamed of me, my little sister despises my weakness, and the branch family resent me the most!" She pitched off the shelf she was seated on and sank in the water in an attempt to let the hot water block tears and sooth the knot in her throat. A strong hand grabbed her arm and pulled her clear out of the water before setting her back in her old spot.

            Hinata coughed as the blond woman glared at her. "Don't kill yourself over it! If your family thinks how good a person you are depends on how strong a fighter you are, they are NOT the family for you." The water gone from her lungs, Hinata looked up into steadfast, brown eyes. The woman sighed and sat back, leaning her head on the edge of the pool. "Being a ninja would probably kill you young, and you're a good girl, Hinata."

            Hinata looked down at the water and saw the image of her hands waver under the surface. "What is your name?" she asked quietly, but in a stronger tone than her old self used. She no longer saw this woman as a threat, but perhaps as a friend.

            "Tsunade."


	5. More Training and a Short Trip

::I think I'm going to have to request a beta reader . It's hard to proof-read my own writing bcs 1. I'm dyslexic and 2. My eyes tend to skip over my errors. I would prefer someone at the sophomore/tenth grade reading level or higher. Think of this as an opportunity to read the next chappie before anybody else—the catch is I would like the proofed chapters returned asap(1-2 days) so they can be submitted in a timely fashion. The last chapter was late bcs of finals, but I'm out of school now and can write instead of study::

          Jiraiya grumbled as he put away his comb. Naruto hadn't shown up, which meant the boy was probably lying unconscious somewhere after over-exerting himself. Jiraiya was inclined to just letting the boy sleep on the ground, but Hinata would give him that _look._ He shook his head. That girl had a powerful expression that had nothing to do with her byakugan. It was the 'I'll carve your heart out with a spoon—if you even have one, and then I'll cry' look. She never said anything, but the look was enough. He stepped out of baths and froze. Under a flickering street lantern stood Hinata and a rather chesty blond…

          "Tsunade, what a pleasant surprise," Jiraiya said. Tsunade gave him a wry smile.

          "Are you telling me you had no idea I was here? You've spent too much time peeping and not enough time training."

          Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched. "Well you're looking awfully good for your age—" His head flew back and he fell over. Hinata gaped as Tsunade lowered her fist. "Ow…"

          Hinata walked over to her sensei's side and looked down at him. The side of his face was an angry red. "With all the time you spend watching women I thought you knew more about them," Hinata said. Jiraiya reached up and touched the side of his face lightly. He sat up and Hinata backed away, reaching into her wash basket to bring out a small jar. Jiraiya thanked her and dabbed some ointment on his cheek.

          Tsunade knelt next to Jiraiya and looked at the swollen cheek as it turned a less-impressive pink. She looked at Hinata. "You're a medic nin?" she asked.

          Hinata blushed. "N-not really. Hyuugas don't become doctors."

          Tsunade stood and helped Jiraiya to his feet. "I didn't expect to see a conformatist Hyuuga in you're company, Jiraiya. How'd you manage it?"

          Jiraiya laughed. "Oh, it wasn't _that_ hard. Besides, she's not the only Hyuuga with me. Naruto is probably still out training."

          "Hyuuga Naruto?" She turned to Hinata. "Is he your brother?"

          Hinata swallowed and looked rather sad a moment. "Sort of." The sky was getting darker with no sign of the blond boy. "Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sama, I'm going to look for him. I'll meet you at the pub." She ran off.

-------

          Tsunade and Shizune sat across from Jiraiya at their table in the pub. Each had a plate of mostly eaten food and a mug of beer in front of them. Jiraiya and Tsunade also each had an empty mug at their elbow. The female senin looked at the door as it opened, but it was just another grisly old man. "Where are those students of yours? You've been amazingly quiet about them." _And I could really care less about that book series of yours,_ Tsunade thought.

          Jiraiya took a gulp of beer. "Oh they'll come around as soon as Hinata manages to get Naruto to his feet. That boy can be stubborn, but Hinata usually gets him to bend." The door blasted open and a blond whirlwind came in. Customers looked up as the door closed again and Hinata and a scratched-up Naruto wandered in and sat on Jiraiya's right. Hinata quietly picked up a fork and knife and quick as a chef cut Naruto's meal into Naruto-bite-sized pieces before turning to her own. Tsunade eyed this with interest and watched Naruto slowly pick up his chopsticks and start to eat.

          _He needs a good day's rest tomorrow, maybe even the day after that. How can Jiraiya be so irresponsible about this young man's training?_ She flicked her hair over her shoulder and leaned on an elbow. "So, what did you mean by 'sorta' siblings? You certainly don't look much alike," she said lazily.

          Hinata cast a look at Naruto, who didn't seem to have heard over the sound of chewing. Pale eyes met Tsunade's briefly before looking down. "My father adopted Naruto less than a year ago," she said.

          Tsunade smiled slyly. "When's the wedding?" Hinata stiffened and turned pale, Naruto choked on the piece of beef he'd been eating. Tsunade arched an eyebrow. "What? Still bashful about it? I didn't think they married so young in Konoha anymore, but maybe for the Hyuuga it's not so unusual…"

          Hinata shook her head furiously, her hair flying out like wings. "There's no engagement. The Hokage just felt that Naruto needed a family around him to…um…" she tapered off, not quite sure on how to discuss the details.

          Naruto succeeded in swallowing. "The old geezer thinks Hiashi-sama can teach me to shut up," he said. The he glared into his soup. "Damned thing is I think it's been working."

          Hinata blinked. Well, he had been less inclined to just blurting stuff out, but nothing that drastic. "You're still you, Naruto-kun," she said quietly, then she took a sip of her water. Tsunade smiled a private smile. She knew this kind of relationship. Hinata at least showed some interest, but Naruto seemed too tired to show interest in all but the most inescapable subjects.

          "So what made you bring two students all the way out here, Jiraiya? Not training, the woods around Konoha are better for that," Tsunade said as she leaned back and took a swig from her mug. Hinata quietly ate, attentive to the conversation of the loosened adults.

          Jiraiya slammed his mug down unnecessarily hard, but the action went unnoticed at the advanced hour. In this pub, such sounds were commonplace. "I'll have you know that these kids would've self-destructed if they'd had to stay in that village a day longer! Hiashi has the money to raise as many kids as he wants, but look at Hinata-chan. She doesn't have the confidence someone needs to become the head of the most powerful family in Konoha. And I'll tell you why; her father hasn't given her a smidgeon of praise since her sister leaned to walk! So I say, teach the girl something her father doesn't want her near and she'll have the strength to stand up to him and the rest of that dratted household…"

          Tsunade grinned. "So you're playing the good uncle? That's a laugh, you can't be responsible for keeping your hands to yourself, let alone teaching a Hyuuga _those_ techniques." She played with her now empty mug. "This stuff was good. Barkeeper! Another round please!" Hinata and Tsunade's companion traded looks. Perhaps another round of whatever poison was in those mugs wasn't a good idea. When the barkeeper came over with a grin and five mugs, he walked back to the bar with four of them. Hinata had managed to convince the man to let them only take one more mug instead of the whole round Tsunade had called for. Hinata stared at the mug in front of her, then she noticed the silence around the table. Looking up she found Tsunade and Jiraiya eyeing her. "Are you going to drink that, Hinata-chan?" Tsunade asked.

          Hinata's knuckles turned white on the handle. "Um…no."

          Jiraiya made it before Tsunade, and just as the blond opened her mouth wide to order more, Shizune clapped her hand over the woman's mouth and said, "Time to pay." Tsunade's mouth clamped shut. Shizune looked at Hinata apologetically as she and Tsunade left. Hinata managed to get Naruto and Jiraiya back to their rooms and immediately wished they had been awake enough to bathe first. _I hope Jiraiya-sensei isn't too grumpy tomorrow. It is kind of my fault he drank that third beer._

-------

          The next day Tsunade and Shizune headed for a quiet house where they knew old men gathered to gamble and talk about old times. There are few things that can come between Tsunade and taking a chance, and one of them is taking a bigger chance. En route they ran into a familiar trio. Tsunade first noticed the blond boy, Naruto, who seemed to be shining with energy. _He should be exhausted…_

          Jiraiya smiled when they drew close. "Tsunade! Imagine running into you on this street," he said.

          She hid the bag of money she was planning on gambling with behind her back. "Hello you three. You seem to have recovered from last night suitably well, Jiraiya."

          Pervert-senin scoffed. "It wasn't that much. Have you been keeping yourself in shape, Tsunade? You know I can never tell." Tsunade's eyebrow twitched.        

          "I will ignore what you're emplying…" Her eyes followed Hinata's gaze and rested on a child weeping on the ground as a parent bandaged his knee. Tsunade grinned. "Hinata, how would you like to spend some time training with me to be a medic nin?" There, it was said, the proposition that could make Hinata stronger or degrade her worth in her family's eyes. It was a daring move for Tsunade to offer and for Hinata to accept.

          Hinata looked at the female senin and hesitated, then nodded. "I would like that very much, Tsunade-sensei." Tsunade smiled and looked at Jiraiya.

          "We'll leave you guys to your training, Hinata and I will be heading this way. See ya!" She threw an arm across the Hyuuga's shoulders and steered the girl away into the crowd. Hinata cast one last look back at Naruto before facing forward and listening to what her new teacher had to say. "Hinata, first thing you need to learn is nerve. Make a call and stick with it because you know it's right. Ah! Here we go." They entered a shifty-looking building and Hinata's eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light. A small circle of elderly men looked up at the women who had just walked into their midst.

          Tsunade handed the sack of money to Hinata and sat the girl down. Grinning at the men, the senin said, "Shall we play?"

-------2 weeks later (You can tell this is my favorite amount of time to skip.)

          Naruto looked around anxiously. He wanted Hinata to show up soon so he could show off his improved Rasengan before they set out once more. The sun wasn't as warm as it had been the entire time they were there. Summer was passing its peak and heading for a gentle cooling in fall. For the past couple of weeks Jiraiya and Naruto had only seen Hinata shortly before bed when she returned. Naruto didn't like not knowing what she and Tsunade were up to. What secrets were being passed? Did Hinata ever talk about him? Recently he had become concerned with how Hinata saw him. She had very quickly become an important part of his routine, and not having her around made him feel like he was stumbling over holes in a path. Sure, Jiraiya had kept him busy the training—grinning the whole time like the sadistic pervert Naruto thought him to be—but it was the unknown of what Hinata was up to that bothered him.

          Had she been taking care of herself? She was always exhausted when she returned to their inn, remaining asleep once the other two had risen to go train. Her chakra had taken on a slightly different feel as well. Naruto sensed this chakra approaching and looked up. Hinata was approaching with her pack on her back. Right behind her were Tsunade and Shizune. Tsunade nodded to Jiraiya. "Let's go. I can't let any idiot take over her training, but I also can't keep her here if you plan to move on or Konoha will come knocking. We're going with you."

          Jiraiya shrugged. "Suit yourself." Naruto eyed his sensei warily. That mischievous glint was back in the man's eyes. Had Tsunade missed it?

          "Naruto-kun…" Hinata said. Naruto turned and smiled.

          "Yes, Hinata-chan?"

          She blushed rose. "Um, it's nice get to travel with you again."

          Naruto nodded and said, "You too. It's kinda late now, we should get going." Jiraiya nodded and headed down the road and out of the town. They traveled hard for most of the day, then Tsunade called a halt so she could spend some time training Hinata. Naruto watched the two go off into the trees by the road and grudgingly stayed behind with Jiraiya and Shizune. After an hour, he had heard no fighting sounds.

          "What are they doing?" he asked Shizune.

          She shrugged. "They spend most of their 'training' time sitting on the ground staring at each other. It wears them out, so I assume it's stressful. Tsunade never did such training with me, and when I asked why she said it was because I wasn't the same."

          Jiraiya snickered. "Of course not. You know that a ninja can learn techniques off anther nin's corpse? Well, Hinata can learn as much with her byakugan and the training I started her on with a living nin. Tsunade can show her the how easier this way than by word of mouth." He brought out a jug of sake and took a sip. "They should be done with that kind of training soon. Then all that comes is practice."

          Naruto did some target practice on a tree and then looked at the shadows again. Without a word he walked into the brush. A minute later he found Hinata and Tsunade stretching. "Oy! Are we going to head on or what?" he said.

          Tsunade cast a look at Hinata and said, "I'm going to head back, you two can spar for a time. I don't think Jiraiya is counting on moving any time soon." She left and Hinata faced Naruto.

          "Do you want to?" she asked. Naruto took a step back.

          "Sure." He sprang forward, meaning to attack first, but Hinata had done the same. They met quickly and jumped back after only a single clash of their kunai. Adjusting to this change, Naruto attacked again. Hinata wasn't using her byakugan, and was instead trying to keep up a purely physical fight. Naruto decided to ease up a bit and went at about half strength. He struck out at her using some of the sharp movements Hiashi had tried to ingrain into him. Hinata responded accordingly and deflected it, her left hand taking his hit as her right came between them from below. He caught the fist heading for his windpipe and grabbed her wrists with his hands to try a close-quarters kick. Her knee came up to block it as she jumped and struck out with the other leg. Naruto jumped over her head, still holding her arms. She followed to avoid being tossed and kicked out as she landed.

          It was a respectable fight that would have made any amateur proud, but for Naruto it was middling. Physically he was as strong as Sasuke, but he suspected he only ever won a bout with the boy because Sasuke held back to not activate the seal on his neck. It had never gone away, and even Jiraiya had been unable to remove it. Naruto suddenly had a disturbing mental image of Hinata covered with the marks of seal, her eyes cruel.

          The picture upset him so much he faltered in their fight. Hinata's hands caught his arms and squeezed. His limbs began to tingle and Naruto felt his arms go numb as they fell to his sides. _When the heck did she learn that?! It's not a Hyuuga gentle fist move._ Naruto dropped to the ground and kicked up. His foot caught Hinata in the chest and she flew back. He thought that would end it, but Hinata got up and rushed at him. Naruto dove to the side to try a similar move to his previous one, but Hinata followed him, grabbed him and switching their positions. When they landed, she was underneath him.

          Naruto knew he was a bit heavy for this and tried to get off, but his arms weighed him down instead of obeying him. He felt blood rush to his cheeks as Hinata's breath tickled his face and certain contact points came to mind. "Um, Hinata-chan, do you think you could give me back my arms now?" he asked shakily.

          Hinata gulped and said quietly, "They come back in time."

          "How much time?"

          "Um…"

          Naruto sighed and tried to roll off, but Hinata let out a disturbing squeak that made him freeze. "What is it?" He looked into her eyes, a big mistake, because now he was caught by them.

          Hinata was having a nervous breakdown with their position. "Uh, it's, you just… Your elbow just crushed my arm…" she said quietly. Naruto swallowed and looked down to the side.

          "Gomen." This time he rolled the other way. Once he was on his back facing the sky, he took a deep breath. His blood was pounding in his ears and he felt out of focus. Hinata lay beside him taking deep breaths and then sat up slowly.

          "Will you be okay, Naruto-kun?" He nodded.

          "Yeah. I'm starting to feel my fingers again. What was that move?"

          She stood and helped him to his feet as she said, "It's just one of the things I learned from Tsunade-sensei about the human body. Now I should be able to control people's nervous and circulatory systems like their chakra, but only at close range. Some ninjas are resistance to such techniques, so by using them I am gambling that my opponent is not." Naruto nodded and shook his arms and shoulders. Hinata rubbed them up and down to help the pins and needles fade before they headed back to camp for some food.

::Longer than the norm, but that's because it took longer. Even trade. Get back to me on beta reading!::

EDIT::Sorry about forgetting to put Shizune's name in the first time around… I kinda forgot it when I wrote the chapter and left it blank, then forgot I'd done so!::


	6. Who Wants to be Hokage?

::I know I screwed up on the previous chapter… I couldn't remember Shizune's name and left it 'temporarily' blank and forgot about it. --' I fixed it the next day, though! I still can't believe I did that… Also, my laptop has been malfunctioning and I haven't been able to get online for some time now. Gomen.

Review responses this chapter!

DragonSoul: My new beta! Thank-you ever so much for helping me out.

Asagao: If you say so, what I said is what I'd heard from Prof. Havens.

Double Negative: I'm glad you approve, I wasn't originally planning on a Hinata/Naruto pairing, but I believe the story is shaped by the characters and I didn't make up the characters.

Aharah Musici: You are one dedicated reviewer! And if you think the new techniques I've introduced thus far open new horizons, just wait. .

Lady Light: Thank-you for reviewing!

Hikaru chan: If DragonSoul and Falcon-Rider should experience sudden and horrible deaths you may take their place as beta.

Cookie6: Will do—or did.

GentleWaterSoul: I'm updating! I'm updating!

Falcon-Rider: Close second for beta! I just might alternate chapters between you and DragonSoul, who knows.

Wormkaizer: There will be more NaruHina scenes, just taking this slowly so Naruto can get a clue.

Dalcacris: What's your favorite pairing then??? And AU stands for alternate universe, where a different chain of events has occurred than the original.

Mahina: Yes… Owie, I know…

Skunktrain: You've been ranked as fourth in line to beta, I believe. Probably not going to happen, but who knows.

Etherelithic: Fifth in line! Sorry, but first come first served.

Xoni Newcomer: Thankies! And yes, I made a booboo…

Gopu: Thankies! .

SilverKnight7: I can't wait to post either! .

Daniel of Lorien: Love your name!! ::ahem:: I just had to throw in that Naru/Hina bit, I am a hopeless romantic.

Luna: Your fav AU? Really? Awesome! As for the Sound/Sand battle confusion, this chapter should help clarify that for you.

C.M. Aeris Queen of Insanity: Thankies!

Zsych: Yes, Byakugan and Hyuuga are practically synonymous, but they can't always marry within the clan or they'll get cross-eyed as well!

Zsych: Glad you like the scheme. Your idea makes me grin, I'll probably use it once I get to a fitting moment. .

Selene: I think there are enough Naru/Hina fics out there. To be honest this one almost wasn't.

Done!::

            The group did not receive their anticipated welcome home. The great gates to the village had hasty repairs and smoke still hung in the air. They raced to the Hokage's office to find the building in a shambles and one side partially collapsed. The academy wasn't much better off. "What happened? It looks like an attack," Naruto said to no one in particular. Passersby seemed too preoccupied to answer, but a spiky brown head separated itself from a gaggle of students and Naruto grinned.

            Konohamaru grinned at Naruto. "Glad to see you back, Naruto ni-san! Sound nins attacked three days ago, an all-out war. We beat them back though!" The genin practically glowed with pride. A band-aid on his chin partially concealed a thin cut going up towards his lip. Hinata and Tsunade eyed the mark with such intensity that Konohamaru started to blush. "Uh, I better get back now or Sensei will make me do extra laps." He ran back towards a group of genin and students who seemed to be repairing the ninja academy.

            "We should visit the Hokage and find out what happened," Jiraiya said quietly to Tsunade and Shizumi. He patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Naruto, why don't you and Hinata visit home and then see what you can do to help out." Naruto and Hinata nodded and the three adults vanished.

            Naruto immediately set out towards the Hyuuga complex, but stopped when he noticed Hinata had hung back. "Hinata-chan?"

            She was looking down the street at something unseen. "I'm just a little nervous about going home, that's all." Naruto waited for her to catch up and then wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug. Hinata gasped and went rigid, her cheeks turning pink, but she almost immediately calmed and raised her arms to hold him back. Her cooling face rested on Naruto's chest and she had an odd thought that made her chuckle.

            Naruto was confused, were his hugs amusing? "What's so funny?"

            Hinata stepped away and looked up at him. "You're taller than when we started out." She walked on, leaving Naruto to ponder this as he watched her walk away. He was taller. How much taller? It hadn't occurred to him to notice where he stood compared to anyone else, but judging from his hazy memory he had grown at least a couple inches—probably more. _That's not natural… We've only been gone a couple months._

            The two nins found the area around the compound relatively unscathed. What damage had been done was already repaired and it seemed most of the clan was out in the village helping others. Neji looked towards the main entrance and felt brief pleasant surprise, then resentment. _They choose now to return? If they're as weak as before I'm going to pound them!_ He left the pile of supplies he'd been gathering and came over. "No one is home, they're all out helping," he said grimly.

            Hinata looked at Neji out of the corner of her eye and then looked back at the front door to her house. "Mother must still be around. We'll just drop our bags off then come out to help," she said quietly, but without the usually up-turn in tone that gave her speech the feel of a question. Neji blinked as Naruto and Hinata went in. His cousin had just brushed off his criticism like a normal person! Turning back to the stack of wood in the yard, Neji let himself show a small smile.

            "I guess training on the road helped…"

            Hinata slowly opened the door to her mother's bedroom and froze. Her mother was lying flat on her back, eyes closed, face still. "M-mother?" Hinata said quietly. Naruto shifted nervously behind her, this was to be his first time seeing his adoptive parent. A pale eye opened and Hinata let out a sigh, opening the door wide. "Mother, this is Naruto. We just got back from training with Jiraiya-sensei."

            The pale woman's face tensed and Hinata could tell she was trying to rise. She helped her sit up as Naruto knelt at the bedside. Hyuuga Tae smiled and raised a hand to stroke Naruto's cheeks, the back of her fingers brushing against his whisker marks. "You have kind eyes, but they're such a mischievous blue. I hear that you've made quite a bit of trouble for your retainers in the past, but perhaps you are growing up under our roof?"

            Naruto tried to keep himself from leaning into her caress. These were a mother's hands, his mother's hands. The soft expression in her eyes held no fear, and Naruto realized she had no fear because she had no regrets. There was such a thing as a guilt-free Hyuuga. Her hand began to drift down to her side, and he caught it in both of his own. Her callous-free hands were not meant for fighting, but she had a fighting spirit.

            "M-Mother, I have done my best to become a great ninja—"

            "And you will be Hokage some day? I have no doubt." She chuckled weakly and closed her eyes. "You will not be the fifth, but in the future you will be ready." She raised her other arm and patted Hinata's hand on her shoulder. "I can feel a change in you, too, Daughter. I think you're rubbing off on each other." Hinata turned a little pink, but her smile was open instead of hidden. "Now why don't you two take this letter to the Council at the administration building and leave me to rest?" Hinata lowered her mother back down and picked up the scroll lying at her side.

            Naruto reluctantly let his adoptive mother's hand go and rose to his feet. Hinata opened the door and he turned to follow when Tae called to him. "Naruto, a moment please…" Hinata shut the door and Naruto knelt once more. "Child, the main branch of the Hyuuga clan is proud and powerful. I fear my husband is rather stubborn about not seeming too soft emotionally, but he really does love all his children. His own father stressed strength above all else, as did his before him, but there are other arts in the Hyuuga clan as close to us as our gentle fist. It is a style of jutsu passed down solely among the women of the clan in recent generations. I believe you are a Hyuuga in your soul, and may learn the Seals of Metal the fastest. This is very important, and I must stress that you do not speak of these jutsu seals to anyone until you have them mastered."

            His excitement at learning yet another secret technique faded quickly. "Why aren't you teaching Hinata or Hanabi? Do they already know these special seals?"

            She shook her head. "No, Hanabi feels as her father does, that jutsu are not important skills for a Hyuuga. Hinata has no stomach for these kinds of techniques, has she made any mention of trying to become a medic nin?"

            Naruto took in this information seriously. "I understand. Hinata has started her medic training—actually she has learned most of what Tsunade can teach her in theory, hasn't had much hands-on training of course."

            Tae looked surprised a moment, then she smiled. "She has? That's good…" Her eyes drifted closed and Naruto realized she had fallen asleep. He awkwardly got up and tiptoed out of the room to find Hinata and report to Neji for repair duty.

-------

            Tsunade gave Jiraiya a killing look. The senior council members wanted him to be Hokage, what was he waiting for? A written invitation, perhaps? Peeking privileges? "I can't accept, I'd make a horrible Hokage! Nope, Don't have the patience for it, never have." Five jaws fell to the floor. Shizune, Kakashi, and the two counselors were stunned, but Tsunade reacted promptly. She smacked the white-hared senin in the back of the head, flipping him over onto his back.

            "You idiot!" she cried. Jiraiya moaned from the floor and twitched. The council members present sighed. Not everyone had believed Jiraiya would accept, but all had hoped to have one of the Three as Hokage. Jiraiya sat up and massaged his nose.

            "Why don't you do it if you like the post so much?" he asked in a nasal tone.

            After a pause, Tsunade blinked. Then she smiled and chuckled. "Me? As you said, who would want to be Hokage?" The spirit of the council members had fallen to a new low. What were they going to do?

            Shizune arched a skeptical eyebrow. "What about Uzumaki Naruto? He seemed pretty sure Hokage was a desirable office." Tsunade looked down, emotions warring in her eyes. She shook her head.

            The female council representative turned to Kakashi. "We understand that you haven't taken up a new team after Team 7, and they're all chuunin—with the Uchiha pending on jounin I believe. Hatake Kakashi, will you take up the title of Hokage?"

            Kakashi's uncovered eye looked over those assembled. "It has come to this…" he said quietly, shifting on his feet so he leaned on the wall. Closing his eye and leaning his head back he said, "Sure. Of course once a more qualified leaf nin arises who will accept the responsibility I will gladly hand it over." He vanished, presumable to the Hokage's office to start organizing things again. The village wasn't in a state of chaos, but its political and economic relationships with the rest of the world were teetering on the edge of a kunai.

            The counselors took their leave and Jiraiya sat on the roof edge facing Tsunade. "Why didn't you accept?" he asked.

            Tsunade glared at him. "You know that the Hokage is destined to die for the village. I'm not up to dying for people I don't know." She started to walk away, Shizune got up to follow.

            "They would have wanted you to accept, you know," Jiraiya said. Tsunade didn't even pause. With a sigh Jiraiya looked out over the rooftops of Konoha, his gaze briefly lingering on the great wall. Eventually his gaze went beyond the wall to the forest. Sasuke had resisted the pull on his heaven seal, and had killed one of Orochimaru's famous four in the process. Jiraiya still worried however.

            He decided to stop by the Hokage's office first. Then pop in at the Hyuuga main house before heading out again. There was something he had to confirm.

-------Two weeks later.

            Naruto sat on a tree stump in a very familiar setting. His team had trained here since they were genin. Usually he looked forward to the days when he got to work with Sakura and—though he'd never admit it—Sasuke. Today was different, however, because while it was a B-rank mission, Sasuke was going to be the one in charge. Sasuke had been promoted into the jounin ranks just two days before, and yesterday Naruto had been told his next assignment was to be with Sasuke and Sakura. Kakashi was now Hokage, and therefore ineligible for assignments. Naruto did figure out that it was Jiraiya who had convinced ol' Cyclops to get them together again.

            Sasuke showed up first. He wore a black body suit, cargo shorts, and green vest. It was very Sasuke, especially with the half-angry half-bored expression. The Uchiha jumped down from a tree branch and landed next to Naruto's throne. "Naruto," he said, and he folded his arms and leaned against a tree to wait.

Sasuke wasn't quite sure why Naruto was being trusted with this mission, but he knew it had something to do with Kakashi being the new Hokage. That, and the strange changes that had occurred to Naruto in the past weeks. Whatever the Hyuugas and Jiraiya had done, they had made the hopeless 'Dobe' into something with an iota of skill. Sasuke still didn't think Naruto was worth his time, of course. Despite their past sparring matches, Sasuke had succeeded in ridding himself completely of Orochimaru's seal. If they fought right now, he would win. His lip twitched, attempting to smile.

            Naruto now wore orange pants and a white t-shirt with his chuunin vest, not as loud as when he wore all orange, but still an eyesore. Sasuke was still suspicious of the subtle insight Naruto now used when they were together. Then a pink streak entered the area and Naruto shot to his feet. Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto's eager, "SAKURA-CHAN!!!" rang through the clearing.

            Sakura huffed and began to bicker with Naruto about volume control when on a mission when Sasuke could sense the final member of their team on approach. Shikamaru strolled out of the trees looking bored as ever. Sasuke detached himself from his tree and came out into the light. "Shut-up, you two. Our mission is simple; while all the other teams are busy taking care of business, we are to pursue Konoha's interests…"

-------

            Hinata sat panting on the floor, her byakugan fading. Hiashi straightened and felt his rage well up again. She was holding back on him. He didn't know what she knew, but there was something about her movements that reminded him of his grandfather's style. Growing up there had been much talk about his father's and grandfather's different attitudes towards fighting, had Hinata unlocked something? He couldn't tell because she hadn't tired anything new. As she got to her feet, Hiashi held out a hand to stop her. "Hinata, you will not improve if you do not employ all your skills. You traveled with one of the legendary senin for weeks and learned nothing?"

            She gulped. "I-I did learn, Father. I just…" Then her entire presence shifted. As he watched she changed between his little Hinata, to someone _other._ Her face became blank instead of panicked. Her body relaxed into position instead of tensing up, and the position she took was not automatically defensive. In fact, it wasn't a part of the gentle fist at all.

            Hiashi took up his own position, hope warming his limbs. _Hinata, if only I could preserve this moment under glass. This is the day you showed me whose daughter you are._ She dove in and instead of jabbing at him aiming for chakra centers, Hiashi found himself blocking nervous and circulatory points. _How did she learn such advanced anatomy so quickly?_ Then when he didn't have the time to strike back, his hands busily striking down moves from a less-familiar style, Hinata's confidence grew.

            Her hands moved faster, and her kick almost hit Hiashi merely because of his surprise. Then she twisted an arm behind her back as she succeeded in catching his wrist and poked him in the left shoulder. Hiashi was shocked to feel the main vein of his left arm shut down. He immediately stopped and took a step back, his right hand countering the effect by pressing the correct spot. It wasn't a system of fighting he was able to use to his advantage against on others, but on his own body he was a master.

            Hinata let her guard down a moment and Hiashi attacked again. Hinata smacked his hand away and barely managed to block his next few attacks. Her old style and confidence were gone, and Hiashi sent her to the floor with a kick.

            He looked down at her. "That was well done, Hinata, but you lost your nerve and the fight."

            Hinata sat up, and instead of looking ashamed or embarrassed, she smiled and got to her feet. With a bow, she left the training room. Hiashi looked at the windows and nodded at the sunlight. She was ready for another go at the chuunin exams. They were only a week away.

            As Hinata left, her closing toughts were, _And I didn't even have to use the skills Jiraiya-sensei taught me. I wonder how father would react if I used it on him? Or Neji? Or Hanabi? _Suddenly she couldn't wait to spar with any of them again.

------

            Naruto stared straight ahead, his mind and body focused on one thing. His teammates were surprised at his speed, pulling up side-by-side with Sasuke. They needed to get their knowledge to the Hokage _now!_ They had been gathering information and Sakura had made a startling discovery. Now it was a race to Konoha, their enemies close behind. Naruto glimpsed at the sun. _We're not going to make it! No! We must make it, for Hinako!_ His new nickname for Hinata had taken over her full name in his thoughts on this trip, but he remembered to say Hinata-chan aloud.

            The gates of the village were dead ahead. They paused just long enough for the guards to know it was them, then scaled the surface and jumped over the top. They landed on the other side and continued running. The anbu outside the Hokage's office stopped them. Sasuke reached out to the doorknob. "We need to speak to the Hokage immediately."

            The anbu relented and the team went through. The four-man team stood in front of Kakashi's desk as he finished some paperwork. "You're back so soon?" he drawled.

            Sasuke opened his mouth to answer, but Naruto beat him to the punch line. Leaning forward and slamming his hands on the desk, Naruto said, "Orochimaru has made an alliance with the Sand village and they plan to attack the exams!" Kakashi sighed. Orochimaru's initial attack had been mostly missing nin, but no one from the Sound village. The first strike had been as much a test as a softening up of their forces. The more seriously injured nins from the first wave a few weeks ago were just beginning to get back into shape thanks to Tsunade's skills. This attack strategy showed more of a military mind than ninja.

            Kakashi leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his vest. He'd never taken up the robes of Hokage. "Then we'll just have to be more careful. Sand and Sound nin are already in the village to take part in the exam, along with civilians and lords come to watch the tournament. Since the first test has already begun, Orochimaru must have a specific time in mind. Find out when it is."

            That wasn't what Naruto had wanted to hear. He had wanted Konoha's main force assembled and briefed to scour the forests and town. He had wanted the exam to be delayed. Shikamaru could tell Naruto was going to start shouting at Kakashi. The boy was just too casual with authority.

            It was a real surprise to everyone when Naruto just stood tall with his mouth clamped shut and nodded. "Then I'll be back." He left via the window.

            There was a stunned silence in the room until Sakura said, "He has done better, as the third had hoped. It still feels like someone took the real Naruto away."

            Kakashi shrugged. "Maybe he's just growing up."

            Shikamaru looked up. "Scary thought."


	7. The Exam

::I have been officially bitten in the arse, but can't complain. I'm extremely sorry for the wait and wouldn't be too surprised if most of you gave up on me. The problem has been simple writer's block. Gomen::

            Hinata gulped and stared at the forest in front of her. She was teamed up with a couple of the older genin, but both were still years younger than her. Her hand itched to rest protectively over her hip pouch where her team's heaven scroll was hidden, but she resisted. Even though the test hadn't started yet, she didn't want to let anyone have a chance at figuring out exactly who had her team's scroll. The gate opened and she jumped ahead.

            "Hinata! Whoa!" Yuki called behind her. She glanced back, but didn't slow down. She wasn't that fast, the boys could catch up easily. Yuki and Hiei came up on either side of her looking confused. "We've got five days, no need to rush."

            "Come on, Yuki. Hinata has been through this several times, can't blame her if she just wants to get it over with." Hiei and Yuki often held the team discussions on their own, usually about whatever Hinata was doing at the time. The boys' conversation was quiet and low, but Hinata could tell at least one group had to be trying to follow them based on that.

            "Quiet," she said, and she stopped. Leaning against a tree she performed a quick seal and opened her eyes wide. Now with her improved Byakugan she could see further and with more detail than ever before. She waited.

            "Come on…" Yuki whined. He wanted to keep moving inward. Hiei shook his head and leaned against the tree with his arms crossed and his eyes scanning the treetops. Hinata was doing her all-seeing thing and they would wait. Hinata turned left and both boys leapt for the tree branches above. She remained below, the bait, looking around as if she couldn't see the team of water nins coming closer.

            _Almost within range… They need to be just a bit closer…_ Hinata ducked a set of shuriken and ran for a tree. _Where are they?! Yuki! Hiei!_

-------

            Kakashi sighed. He could think of a lot of taunts to fling at Naruto right now, but deciding which was proving to be an issue. "That was quick work, Naruto, ver detailed report. How many pretty little Sound nins did you knock up in the process..?" Predictably that got him a killer glare and a thrown kunai to avoid. Having recovered his poise, Kakashi sat behind his desk and propped his feet up. "I take it you're a hundred percent sure this is correct?"

            Naruto nodded. "I got it out of a Sand chuunin near our old training ground." He didn't say how he got it, and Kakashi wondered if Naruto had overheard this detailed account of the Sound and Sand's plan or if the situation had forced him to be more 'active' in acquiring information. He couldn't really see Naruto torturing someone, but this was a threat to his beloved Konoha. And contrary to his teasing, he didn't believe Naruto slept with any enemy nins for the information either.

            Closing his visible eye and leaning back, Kakashi said, "And I'm sure she's crying over her broken heart right now… Alright. Go fetch the rest of your team and bring them in." Naruto nodded and went to the door. Kakashi blinked. Sasuke, Sakura, and Shikamaru walked in from the hallway and stood at attention. _I'd been counting on having a little more time to plan while Naruto found them all, but ah well._ Kakashi stood and said, "Sakura, you're to start at the Academy and head through the town to begin a low-level evacuation. Be discrete; make sure the instructors are well informed, as we may need to call on them. Then leave word with the respective clan heads so they may prepare. Shikamaru, Sasuke, you two will spread the word at the usual muster points for the nins to be on guard and inform those on the walls they will be our first wave. Everyone else is to lay low until the enemy is in the city.

            "Naruto, you will go straight to the center tower of the exam area and inform the instructors of our situation. It's only been a day, so most of the teams are still scattered throughout the forest. Avoid them. Do _not_ attack the Sand and Sound teams in the exam." He looked around the room and sighed, losing his commanding aura as he scratched his head. "Only a few hours, huh? Too bad, the new Icha Icha Paradise just came out and I haven't finished it yet…"

------

            Hinata yawned and stretched, slowly waking up. She looked around and sighed as she remembered that she was camped outside in a forest and not at home in bed. _With Naruto across the hall…_ She blinked and shook her head as she jumped down from the branch she'd been asleep on. Opening her canteen she rinsed off her face and began to feel better. It was then that she noticed her teammates were missing.

            Instantly wary she silently climbed back up into the tree to get a better view of the ground. There was no sign of them. She checked her hip pouch and then opened it. She still had both scrolls. Of course the scrolls meant nothing if she couldn't get her team together. Hinata sighed and activated her byakugan. Yuki and Hiei were visible almost immediately. They were hanging upside-down about a hundred meters east. She didn't see anyone else around them, but it was obviously a trap.

            Her old nervousness tried to take over. _How can you free your two teammates when your team is usually the one taking care of you? Be realistic, you're just gonna get caught too, lose the scrolls, and probably die…_ Even as she thought this, her feet were already shifting position on her branch and she jumped to the next. Her eyes still looked all around, peering into darkness in an attempt to see her enemy. Nothing yet. A few more jumps closer and she dared not go any further just yet. Turning left she began to go around the area her team was in to try and find threats. Again nothing.

            _It can't be this easy…_ She started into the center to free Yuki and Hiei when her feet stuck to the tree she was climbing. Looking down she noticed nothing out of the ordinary, no jutsus or sap. Then she looked forward again and her eyes grew even wider. Yuki and Hiei were only illusions! Hinata felt ashamed to have been fooled with her byakugan for so long, but at the same time she now knew she'd have to remind the boys to not wander off so far they got lost. Yuki's one gift was genjutsu, and it seemed he and Hiei had gone on 'patrol' for enemies, lost their way, then settled down with a jutsu to disguise their sleeping forms with already captured ones.

            Hinata looked down at her feet and pulled up. She fell off the trunk and curled up into a ball. _I'mgonnadie!!_ To her dismay, she hit the ground hard, but had shifted her weight enough to roll some to ease the landing. It still hurt. For a moment she remained curled up, then she slowly began to unwind and make up her damage report. "Ow…" She rolled onto her back and looked at the dark canopy of green far above her. The ground underneath her was spongy with dead leaves, and not all that uncomfortable aside from the dampness. She was content to lay there a while, but realized that fall must've gotten someone's attention. Her group was close to the tower, and she imagined other teams were also closing in. Biting back a grown she sat up and tried to get her feet under her.

            "Ah!" she fell down. Her face was pale and her eyes squeezed shut. She wasn't fond of pain.

            "Hinata-chan!" The Hyuuga looked up to see Yuki and Hiei scrambling down the trunk of the tree with anxious looks on their faces. It was Yuki who'd called. He landed first and looked at her pained face. "Are you okay? What happened? Were you attacked?"

            She blushed a bit and shook her head. "I got momentarily stuck on the tree trying to get to you and then fell." Her hand hovered over her ankle. "I think I sprained it." Hiei sighed and Yuki bit his lower lip as he thought.

            Standing with his hands on his hips, Yuki declared, "Then I'll just have to carry you!" Hinata winced. She was small enough, but it would wear him out too much if he tried to keep up a lively pace.

            "We still have to get to the tower. If you carry me you'll be too tired to fight." She brought out a roll of bandages. "I'll take care of this if you two are willing to wait a little more..?" Hiei and Yuki nodded.

            "I'll go see if I can find us something fresh for breakfast," Hiei said before running off.

            _I hope he doesn't get lost again…_ Hinata thought grimly as she removed her sandal. Her ankle was already turning weird colors. Running her hands over it she looked at the damage with more than just her eyes. Bruising, swelling, damaged chakra lines, she had the works. Taking a few calming breaths that sounded more like shudders, Hinata started to poke at her ankle with the same determined stare Naruto used on cups of cooking ramen. Yuki watched with interest as she administered her newest style of first aid.

            The first things to go were the nerves that would give her the most trouble. Then she did her best to moderate the swelling and keep the flow of chakra in that appendage normal. When she was done, she wrapped it up and put her shoe back on. There had been something else amiss with her foot, but she couldn't put her finger on it… Shaking her head with a sigh, she knew her medical knowledge and skills were hardly professional grade. Further treatment would have to wait.

            Hiei returned with some sketchy looking berries that the other two opted not to eat. Instead they feasted on the power bars Hinata had brought. When she stood up, Hinata felt a slight twinge of pain, but was surprised at how easily she could move around. The team moved on towards the tower.

------

            Naruto sighed with relief as Hinata walked into the tower and her team opened their scrolls. Iruka, who had been put in charge of this part of the exam for once, cast a look at Naruto and smiled as he looked away and busied himself with going over the leaf's applications to find the ones for Hinata's team. It was only the second day of the exam, and four teams had already shown up.

            "Naruto-kun, there are still too many teams out to try to stop the exam. Filling the forest with leaf nins will make the other villages call foul. A single team may go in and try to sniff out any problems, but until we know Orochimaru is in there I can't allow any more." Naruto's back stiffened and he gave his former teacher and current ramen-eating companion a steady look. It reminded Iruka of someone, but he couldn't remember exactly who.

            "Alright. I'll inform Kaka—er, the Hokage." Naruto disappeared into a wisp of smoke. Iruka sighed and walked over to the observation monitor. Pressing a button, a tape came out. Naruto hadn't noticed that the video was from the last chuunin exam. Iruka had just needed to do something to calm the boy down. The truth of the matter was only two teams had already arrived, and neither of them was Hinata's. While Iruka was sure he'd see hers soon, he did wonder who Orochimaru could be after in the exam.

            It seemed clear to all except Naruto that the sennin's target was still Sasuke. Despite successfully ridding himself of the heaven seal, the Uchiha could still be marked again. Iruka set the papers for Hinata's team aside and looked at the two that had already come in when there was a knock at the office door. It opened as he looked up and a chuunin stuck his head in. "Another team just got in." Iruka turned on the live video feed and relaxed. Hinata, Yuki, and Hiei were standing in one of the rooms with two open scrolls and an instructor talking over them. Iruka picked up the papers he had pretended to mark before and did so now. _Much better timing than last year, Hinata. I guess training with the sennin helped._

------

            Sakura looked back over the heads of the children walking through the stone halls and felt a moment of panic. She hated thinking she'd lost someone, but it seemed there were a couple of the younger girls who hung back from the group constantly. "Step faster, Girls," she said. They gave her a glance and caught up, but Sakura could already tell they would be slowing down again soon. At least the students were all taken care of. The other village children would be arriving shortly—but with chaperones. Sakura had helped the substitute instructor taking over for Iruka because he'd been the only one around, and she doubted his ability to keep an eye on so many kids.

            Catching his eye, she said, "I'm going back to the front."

            He gave her a smile that lit up his green eyes. "I can handle this." Sakura nodded and walked off just as the ground began to tremble….

::Okay, cruel cliffy, but I think I know what I'm doing now. The next chapter should be up in a timely fashion::


	8. Naruto Begins to Think

::You're all so beautiful! ;; You didn't give up on me. For this I humbly thank-you. Well, now that I have completed my groveling duties we can get on with the fun part::

Naruto stared at the crumbling wall next to the village's huge gates. The door to his right, bereft of its support, groaned and fell over. The dust kicked up by the debris turned the shape of whatever was coming towards him into that of a monster. Then a giant head covered in scaly skin stuck out of the dust and a forked tongue licked the air, tasting it for prey. Naruto's hands at his sides clenched into fists tight enough to break the skin. He recognized that snake. This also meant the snake would recognize him. He knew he should wait for the village's counter attack, but as the huge creature plowed into town his patience snapped. Bringing a hand to his mouth he noticed there was already some blood on it from tiny cuts in his palms.

As he brought his hand down someone grabbed his wrist and covered his mouth. He looked up in fury to gaze into Tsunade's brown orbs. The hand over his mouth was too big to belong to any woman, so he guessed it was Jiraiya's. Naruto shook his head free to glare up at his sensei. "What are you doing, Pervy Hermit?" he asked, not moving his hand in case he got a chance to make it to the roof they were standing on.

Jiraiya stood back and gave Naruto a serious look. "I'll take care of that, you wait for the Hokage's orders." Then he and Tsunade were gone. Naruto fell over and swore as dirt got into his cuts. _Too bad Hinako isn't around with that special balm of hers…_ Then his eyes lit up. He knew where she was, and the exam area was far enough from the front lines here to keep his blood cool. As he took off towards the forest he thought about his near loss of control back at the gate. If he'd succeeded in summoning a sizable toad, it would have instantaneously destroyed the houses around him and the fight would have made even more of a mess than the snake on its own. Grimly he admitted Jiraiya had been right to stop him.

He didn't have to actually _tell_ the perverted old man as much, though.

------

Naruto paused at the edge of the forest and vanished. He appeared a moment later in front of Iruka's desk. His old teacher looked up from his papers. "Naruto. New orders?"

The blond shook his head. "I came to ask Hinata for some of her medicine." Iruka felt somewhat annoyed at first. His test had been a touchy business anyway, maybe his key to achieving a raise, but the plans lay in a shambles. Those teams that had already passed had been shown to temporary rooms in the tower instead of guided out. Three teams had just arrived on top of each other—two literally—and he had only just begun to go through their forms when Naruto showed up with perhaps another message to give him stress.

Now he saw an opportunity. Iruka grabbed a small pile of papers and set to scribbling on them . "Naruto, in light of this attack, please escort Hinata's _team_ out of the forest along with these two other leaf teams. They've all passed this part of the exam and I feel they are capable of at least helping without getting in the way." He handed the papers in a file to Naruto who blinked and took them slowly. Iruka smiled encouragingly. "Go get 'em! Through that door…" Naruto frowned and scratched his head.

"I don't know about using genin…"

"Don't send them to the front, but they can help protect the evacuees and free up those capable of fighting the attack." He made a shooing motion and Naruto sighed, turning to the office's door. Closing it behind him, he paused to open the file. Eight genin, six of which were taking the exam for the first time. He sighed and closed the file, then turned down the hall. Five doors. Which ones to try first? Going on instinct, he opened the first door.

"ore… EEEEEEK!" Naruto closed the door as a wastebasket slammed into it.

"Girls' room…" he muttered, and he skipped the next door and tried the next. Relief swept over him as he spotted three young teens from the file lounging around the room looking bored. They turned to look at him. Letting the gravity of the situation settle into his expression and tone, he said, "Pick up whatever may be lying around, we're going." The genin traded looks and then moved to comply. Naruto left the door ajar and tried the next.

Hinata sat by the window looking outside. Her teammates were lounging around on the beds looking bored. They all sat up straight and looked at Naruto. He held up the papers. "Gather your stuff, we're going." Then he closed the door and swore to himself. He couldn't just walk in during the exam to ask for a genin's help! What had he been thinking? Well, once he had them all posted doing something he'd ask. Then he pondered where he'd try to put the teams. His feet guided him past two doors and picked one on the left. The final team looked up. One boy had a thick bandage on his wrist, but otherwise looked to be in good health.

Rounding them up in the hallway, Naruto looked them over and felt himself swell with authority. Them his eyes met Hinata's and some of the elation died. He couldn't quite make himself be a grand and important chuunin in front of her. Letting out a breath he started down the hall and waited until they had reached the outer doors before saying what was happening. The students all looked suitably terrified and excited. Naruto held up a hand. "Don't think you're going to fight. You are still genin, and labeled for protection. Stay where I put you unless ordered otherwise by someone of higher rank _directly_. You got it?" Heads nodded, Hinata was studying the ground and worrying her lip. Naruto grunted and threw open the doors.

"Follow me closely and keep up. Hinata, will you take the back?" he asked. She nodded and hung back as they took off through the forest. Naruto got them out without mishap and headed to the cliff. He nodded to the chuunin guarding the entrance and in a low voice explained what he was doing. The chuunin ran a hand through his hair and eyed the genin warily. The kids did their best to look tough. __

"I guess," the guy said eventually. Naruto nodded and gestured for the genin to follow him. They entered the bunker and Naruto went into night-sight mode, as he liked to call it. He found that if he called up a little chakra and applied it to his senses things became clearer. Doing this now he managed to avoid stumbling on the uneven floor and maintaining a degree of finesse compared to the genin behind him. He looked back once or twice out of concern, because while he could hear eight pairs of feet stumbling around, Hinata's sandals barely whispered against the floor. _Gotta love that Hyuuga style. I guess this job will work out really well for her._

A ways in they encountered the nins that were preparing to make a second wave attack once the enemy had come in close. The genin did their best not to stare at the grim-faced jounin and chuunin. Kiba chuckled as he leaned against the wall, Akamaru on his head. "Look who got stuck with baby-sitting," he said.

Naruto stopped and turned towards Kiba and said in a mocking voice, "'Look who got stuck waiting!' Just bringing in some chuunin candidates to replace nins holding down the fort in the caves. Nothing they'd trust _you_ with, Dog Breath." Kiba snarled and let Naruto walk away. He held back only on account that he was going to be fighting soon anyway. "Next time, Naruto. I'll pay you back."

Ah, isn't rivalry a beautiful thing?

The first team he'd gathered took the place of the first chuunin they encountered after leaving the group behind. The other younger team stayed where the second one—in charge of the mountain's emergency supplies—had been on watch. Then Naruto told Hinata's two teammates to take the third's, and continued to the deeper and safer regions where the families waited.

"Naruto-kun, will I be replacing Sakura with the academy students?" she asked. Naruto glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"You can handle it, Hinata-chan! With the exception of Konohamaru and his friends they don't get into much trouble… I think. Actually, I don't know." He could see he wasn't reassuring her any. "I'm sure you'll do fine. You're the Hyuuga heir, they'll respect you." He stopped and turned towards her. "I meant to ask earlier, but do you have any of that super-medicine with you? I kinda need it."

She blinked up at him, then looked down at her pouch and brought out a small, carved box. Naruto recognized it instantly because it was so similar to the one she'd given him all those years ago. Not able to look up at his face, she held it out. He reached out and took it slowly. Why had his heart suddenly started to beat harder? Or was it just the sound of his pulsing blood bouncing off the stone walls? Clearing his throat, Naruto headed on down the tunnel.

------

Hinata had managed to beat her blush, but knew she wouldn't be able to keep it down if she looked up at him. _Oh Naruto, I wish I could tell you! I wish I could just run up to you and—_ And what? Her mind stumbled on what action she'd take. A hug seemed fully acceptable, and adding a kiss on the cheek wouldn't be too weird for a sister, but she didn't want him to feel brotherly towards her. The main problem was she knew she didn't have the nerve to run up and really kiss him. _Just like Neji-niisan said, I can't do it, I'll never change…_ She sighed.

Narutostopped and she looked up. The cavern with the students was right in front of them, and someone she didn't recognize was standing watch over the kids. "Where's Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, suspicion in his voice.

The stranger smiled. "She's off taking care of other matters and left me as substitute." There were a few other adults around caring for younger children and those not enrolled in the academy. Everything looked to be in good order. Naruto nodded.

"I brought in a few teams of testing genin to cover for the chuunin down here. You can head to the front and join the group waiting for the Hokage's signal. Hinata-chan, here will take over for ya." Naruto studied the replacement instructor's face, finding it familiar, yet very new. So odd…

The substitute shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Just give me a few minutes to brief my replacement and I'll head down." Naruto nodded and turned to Hinata.

"I'll be back for you once this is over. Don't worry about it—" He broke off as Hinata wrapped him up in a hug. "U-um, Hinako…"

She gave him a last squeeze and let him go. Tilting her face up to him she treated Naruto with a small smile and said, "Good luck, Naruto-kun." He spun around and walked out of the room.

Hinata felt the urge to blush at hearing Naruto's little nickname. Feeling almost floaty she turned around and noticed while everyone else in the room had been blind to the exchange, the chuunin was grinning. "I'm taking it you're close?" She blushed pink and nodded. He looked over the whispering and giggling students and headed past her to the door. "I helped Naruto-kun out at his first and second chuunin exam attempts. For his sake, I'll make this fast." Her eyes went wide as she felt a prick in the side of her neck. Then she fell to the floor.

-----

Naruto was following the path of destruction caused by Jiraiya's battle with Orochimaru's snake when a team of jounin caught up with him. "Naruto! The senin are up this way?" the leader asked. Naruto nodded and sped up. The jounin kept pace even thought they could have pulled ahead. The trail was pretty obvious. A few broken trees here, a huge swampy mess there. Then Naruto stopped dead. The jounin captain was so surprised he also stopped. "What is it?"

Naruto looked at him. "Why are you looking for Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sama anyway? They're busy with that snake monster." Only now had it occurred to him.

The jounin turned and took off again, shouting over his shoulder, "Orochimaru has gotten into the evacuation bunker and taken hold of the deepest caverns." Naruto didn't follow, he couldn't move. Generally he'd be willing to believe that anyone trapped with Orochimaru was already dead. He'd led Hinata right in, though. _Why? I was just down there and there was nothing to suggest—_ He stiffened. The suspicious chuunin in charge of the students. Familiar yet not, of few words, and fairly friendly. Cursing, Naruto turned to head back to the village. He'd been duped by a very clever genjutsu. It must have been particularly good if Hinata hadn't suspected anything. Of course, judging from that hug before he fled, she'd had other concerns.

He knew the substitute had either been Orochimaru himself or a spy for Orochimaru. Someone obviously capable of overpowering many people at once—including Hinata. He immediately shook away dark thoughts. _I can feel it, she's alive. I'd know if she was dead._ He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he nearly collided with the Sand nin running towards him. Naruto dodged the clumsy kunai attack, and froze just before putting his own kunai through the nin's throat. With a flick of the wrist the cloth mask that covered the nin's lower face fell away and Naruto's eyes turned hard. This ninja was barely a woman! She looked about twelve, and her eyes were wide with fear even though her mouth was in a determined line. Naruto lashed out with a foot and she jumped back over it. He moved behind her to her landing spot and gave her a quick knock on the head with the handle of his kunai. She dropped like a stone and he shook his head as he continued towards the village.

If the Sand village was desperate enough to use children, then what kind of attack was this? How were they planning to benefit from risking their future? His mind balked at trying to figure out the answers for such questions. It was so much easier when Sakura or Shikamaru or someone was around and ready to give answers before he even knew the questions.

Naruto paused on the top of the wall near the destroyed gate and felt his heart tug in his chest. The fighting was definitely concentrated near the cliffs. A huge crack had even formed in the Third's face. He could tell it would be stupid to run in and try to blindly attack. What were his options? Visit Kakashi and ask for orders? No! Part of being a good ninja was being able to accommodate any attack with a suitable counter or defense strategy.

His blue eyes glittered and he turned towards the Hyuuga compound. While every nin in the village had gone to fight and the townsfolk had been evacuated, the Hyuuga tended to do their own thing. He was willing to bet his mother was still at home.

She never had gotten to teach him any of those special seals…

::Prompt enough for you? The end is within sight for our friends in Konoha, maybe one or two more chapters left. We shall see::


	9. Her Final Battle

::Hehe, well, now you're going to get to see what these special seals are that I came up with on impulse and must now find some creative and interesting way to present... Yeah, go me::

Hyuuga Tae opened her eyes and smiled at the ceiling. She could feel it, her son was coming. The love she felt for the boy sprang primarily from Hinata's obvious adoration. Tae only wished her daughter was strong enough to confess her feelings. There was very little in Naruto's manner to suggest exactly how he felt about Hinata, but she'd only seen them together a few times.

The door slid open and a panting Naruto stood leaning on the frame. She felt a wave of anxiousness at the determined expression in his eyes. "Naruto?" she asked, trying to sit up.

Naruto dropped to her side and supported her back with cushions as he'd seen Hinata do so many times. Sitting down to face her he said, "Hinata is trapped along with most of Konoha's children in the caves." Tae closed her eyes and bowed her head, sending a silent prayer to her daughter. "I need to know anything you can teach me to help her." A smile teased his mother's lips as she looked up at him. He'd just told her all she needed to know. _Now they just have to realize it._

"I can teach you many things, Naruto. I believe I know what it is you want though, but the Seals of Metal aren't used like normal jutsus. There are only a few, and each one can be used by itself as a technique." She picked up the cooled cup of tea by her bed and held a hand over it. "_Gold..._" Her left hand came up and down a bit and when she let it fall back into her lap steam rose from the tea. After taking a sip she held it out to Naruto.

He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do. "Umm..."

"Hold your hand flat over the cup and listen to what I say very carefully." She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Silently she wished for the strength of her youth, but she resisted sleep and forced her eyes open again. "The seals are gold, silver, platinum, copper, aluminum, and iron. Each is associated with somewhat abstract qualities that can be switched around depending on the will of the user. One hand must be positioned exactly perpendicular to the ground beneath you."

Naruto looked at his own hand over the tea and at then the floor. "What if I can't see the ground?"

She smiled. "Then it is less likely to work. Alone, the seals will cause limited effects like heating, cooling, or strengthening. The degree to which the effects are felt depends on the amount of chakra you use. Do you understand this much?" He nodded. "Then explain it back to me."

"The seals all use the same hand movement and depend on saying them aloud to distinguish which..." She was shaking her head. "Then what?"

"I hadn't gotten to that yet. Your hand starts in that position, but for each element it's a different gesture. Gold is up and down, silver is turning your hand palm up. Repeat."

Naruto looked at his own hand. "Gold is up and down, silver is switching my hand so the palm is up."

"Platinum cuts along the slope of the ground however far you feel is necessary to make the motion clear, copper is bringing your hand straight down towards the ground. Repeat them all now."

Naruto sighed. This was beginning to feel remarkably like learning his first seals at the Academy. "Gold up and down. Silver goes palm up. Platinum goes across ground. Copper is down."

Tae could tell he was getting antsy. "Calm down, Naruto. These will help you. This battle for Konoha isn't going to end as long as the enemy holds the caves. Aluminum has you sweep your arm away from you pivoting at your elbow and shoulder—however far you need. Iron..." her voice tapered off and her eyes drifted closed before opening with a start. "Um, that is, Iron is very much a decisive seal that must be the last performed for any jutsu if not by itself. Iron is turning your hand into a fist and punching towards the ground. This jutsu will probably be the most useful to you in that it's associated with strength.

"I'll warn you now not to over-use it to make yourself stronger all the time. Doing so will tax your body and spirit in ways you can avoid by using the seal with discretion." She closed her eyes and leaned back, taking a few deep breaths. "Repeat."

Neji tossed the body away from him and glared into the tunnel. He and a few jounin were trying to keep other enemies from entering the caves. Most of the fighting was taking place all over the city, with only a minor concentration here. When a loan genin had stumbled out and fallen at the feet of the chuunin in charge of guarding the entrance, word had spread like wildfire. The Hokage, Kakashi, had shown up briefly before being called away to try and handle a troublesome Sand chuunin who had an unholy alliance with the sand in a gourd on his back.

A few shuriken flew towards his back and he dodged. Flipping backwards he threw his own back and showed a satisfied smirk as a Sound nin fell from the cliff above and landed with a sickening thud. Yeah, he could handle this end. What he couldn't understand was what the genin had reported.

_"My team and two others! With the way he split us up, Hinata-san was the first one taken out since the attack originated from the deepest cavern..."_

But Hinata was at the test in the forest, and Naruto didn't have anything to do with the exam.

Hinata woke up slowly, her head and appendages ached. Closing her eyes again she took a closer look. _Nothing seriously wrong, just cramps._ She used a little chakra to ease the pains and then sat up to look around. The man who'd attacked her was nowhere in sight, and the adults in the cave were all sleeping along one wall. Sleeping children were everywhere. She might have jumped to the conclusion that they were dead, except as surely as she'd noticed they were all down, she also noticed they were all breathing. Getting to her feet, Hinata wondered why any nin would want them all asleep.

She went over to the entrance to the cavern and looked out into the hall. The lighting had been blown out. _Where's Shikamaru when you need him? He'd be able to catch this guy in no time...I'm all alone here. What can I do?_

_You can take out the bad guy and DO something._ Her inner voice stayed silent, as timid as it was, but she had new strengths in more than just ninja techniques. She clenched her hands into fists and peered into the darkness. Her arms shot up and she performed the seals for her byakugan, and then she raced into the darkness as if running on feathers. She could see relatively clearly, but her eyes still squinted. Slowing down, she tried to feel out anybody moving nearby. Nothing. She came across another cavern full of townspeople—all asleep—and moved on.

As she drew close to half way out, she heard the sounds of fighting. Creeping up until she was just around the corner, she stuck her head around and smiled. As she'd thought, there were more lights on here and a couple leaf ninjas were fighting with the man who'd put her to sleep. She lost her smile as she noticed that the traitor or spy was winning. Hiding back in the dark tunnel she tapped her fingers together. What to do...

Then she knew. Remaining mostly behind the rock wall, she looked at the attacked and then _looked_ at him. His chakra was very well controlled and was aiding his muscles and hands to deal with the defenders. Hinata concentrated and watched the chakra ebb away from the man's extremities and concentrate in his abdomen, a much less useful place. He staggered and broke away from his opponents with a frown. Hinata felt elated. Then he turned to stare directly at her and her control vanished with the first wave of fear.

As he ran for her, she stepped back and raised her hands to try and fend him off as she thought, **_Narutooo!_**

Naruto navigated among the different battle areas with unusual speed. He felt like he was being pulled forward on a rope that took most of the load of running off his legs so all he could do was move them as fast as possible. He stopped when he reached the entrance to the caves. Neji and a couple jounin were fending off the waves of Sound and Sand ninjas that kept appearing. From here, Naruto could see there were many waiting all around. They were trying to wear the Leaf nins down. He wanted to help, but the rope was still pulling. His enemy lay beyond this battlefield, under the cliff.

He jumped out and raced for the entrance. As he approached, he caught Neji's eyes and ran right for him. An almost imperceptible nod was Naruto's only sign that his adoptive cousin understood. Naruto rushed the Sound nin Neji was fighting, kicking him in the head as he passed, then brushed by Neji and into the caves.

Naruto ran along the tunnel until he heard a cry that froze his blood. _Hinako... _His feet pounded the stone, his mind bent on speed rather than secrecy. When he noticed some of the lights were out he stopped. Two chuunin were facing a mussed-up Kabuto. Naruto felt pain of two kinds. The first was the sight of an unconscious Hinata hanging against the wall with Kabuto's hand on her neck, the second was betrayal at Kabuto for turning to Orochimaru and hurting Hinata. Kabuto noticed Naruto's arrival immediately and sighed, then gave the chuunin a mocking grin.

"Naruto-kun, how especially unfortunate that you had to see this..." He squeezed and Hinata's head turned to an odd angle before he let her body slump to the ground. No crack, no reaction from Hinata, she just fell. Naruto heard his blood roar in his ears as he struggled to watch her chest rise. It didn't. One of the chuunin ran at Kabuto with a shout and tried slicing him open with a kunai. Kabuto moved like a snake, the hand that had held Hinata glowed blue with chakra as he slammed it into the chuunin's chest. As the Leaf nin stumbled on past he coughed up blood and fell to his knees, wheezing, before collapsing.

The other chuunin prepared for a go, but Naruto grabbed his shoulder with a clawed hand. "Hang back, I'll take over here." He was a scary sight, with claws and clear indentations from growing fangs on his lower lip, as he stepped forward and performed a simple seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Ten clones crouched on either side of him. As one they all ran at Kabuto, trying to get around him and surround him.

Kabuto smirked as he punched the first clone. "A valiant effort, Naruto-kun, but you can't beat me with the same old tricks." The next body he hit was Naruto himself, who fell back instead of disappearing. The other clones attacked then, abandoning the plan, and only to turn into puffs of smoke. This gave Naruto a chance to get to his feet and bring out a kunai. His eyes had begun to bleed red in fury.

"I will skin you alive and send your hide to Orochimaru!" Naruto growled. His control was slipping. He attacked in a fury, the Ninetails' chakra making him slightly faster and stronger, but not enough. Kabuto was in excellent form and managed to easily avoid the kunai. When the frustrated Naruto lashed out with his opposite hand, the claws made it into Kabuto's arm and tore through the skin as if it were delicate silk.

A swift kick sent Naruto flying into the stone wall. Kabuto held a hand over his upper arm and chakra gathered there to heal some of the damage. "Not bad, but you can't expect to beat me using such mindless attacks."

Naruto pushed himself up off the floor and forced his body to relax. _You won't get anywhere hacking at him. Kabuto is too smart for that, and he can heal himself more conveniently than you can. _The red left his eyes and the claws retracted. He stood still a moment, then studied the ground. _It's perfectly flat..._

Kabuto watched Naruto get back to his feet and wished the other chuunin had remained instead. It seemed killing the Hyuuga girl had not been much of a time-saver. He was really just waiting for the ninjas gathered outside to break through and help him secure the caves, but if staying alive that long meant killing Naruto... Well, he had no choice. He waited to see Naruto's next move when he noticed the boy had subdued the Ninetails' chakra. _What is he doing? _"You think you can defeat me without any help?" he said.

Naruto's flaming blue eyes met his. "Yes." Naruto held out his hand and started making a series of motions relative to the floor. Kabuto felt a little confused. A concentration technique? Perhaps something from a new fighting style? Then he had to jump out of the way and Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him and almost punched him in the chest. _How did he get so—_ The thought wasn't completed because he was trying to avoid Naruto's other fist, which was surrounded by blue flames. Glancing at the fist Naruto had first tried to hit him with, he noticed the gleam of metal. Just what kind of jutsu was this?

Kabuto tried cutting Naruto's muscles with his chakra scalpels, but it was like trying to cut stone. The kicks Naruto managed to get in were hard and firm, and then he landed a punch with that metallic right hand. Kabuto's eyes went wide as his ribs cracked and then snapped, digging into his lungs. He immediately tried to gather chakra and repair the damage and found he couldn't. His chakra had been redirected sometime to his groin, a place Naruto wouldn't strike at, but a woman wouldn't hesitate to attack. As he fell, Kabuto looked at the wall where he'd snapped Hinata's neck and found her eyes staring at him. A smile touched his lips.

_These kids are full of surprises...Take care of Naruto-kun for me..._


	10. Epilogue

::Whee! This is the end.::

Two Weeks Later

Naruto ran down the hall to his room, then turned the other way and opened the door to Hinata's room. "Hinako!" She was sitting at her table staring at some flowers in a vase. She looked up and smiled. Naruto closed the door with more care than he'd opened it, and came to sit beside her. "Hey, I'm back. We had a good mission, everything is cleaned up nicely with the Sand."

Hinata nodded. "Naruto, um, Tsunade stopped by yesterday..." Naruto nodded seriously and waited for Hinata to continue. "She said I should be fully recovered in just a few more days." _And I should avoid using my chakra for a few weeks... _She had used her chakra on her neck to prevent it from breaking, but significant damage had been done. Naruto's face lit up and he jumped to his feet.

"That's great! Wait, that means you'll be joining a team soon, doesn't it?"

Hinata nodded. "I will...do my part. In addition to checking my health, Tsunade tested my knowledge and thinks I will make a great medic-nin someday." Naruto felt there was more, but Hinata remained quiet with her eyes on the flowers.

"There's more?"

She blinked and blushed. "We, um, also had a bit of a girl-to-girl chat... About you." Naruto leaned forward so close Hinata had to lean back. "Ah, we decided that-that—" She abandoned words and leaned forward, catching Naruto in a kiss. The blond started in surprise, but Hinata didn't back away, and he brought a hand up to stroke her face as his eyes closed and he kissed back. _She's so soft... No matter what Tsunade said, Hinata is never going to be one of the greats... _He had tried picturing Hinata on an Anbu team and failed._ She is great enough for me though!_

::Author's closing notes::

To those of you who are feeling confused over the ending, Hinata was alive at the end of Naruto and Kabuto's fight and remained so. I would never kill Hinata-chan without some kind of angst warning!! This closing is where I plan to the leave the story—for now. In the future I may right a sequel, but no good plots come to mind. (And my energy for writing beyond class assignments is about a hundredth of what it once was...)

So until next time, farewell!::


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